


Twin Fates

by BelleDreamer



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe - Twins, Co-Written, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Male and Female Shepard, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2018-05-26
Packaged: 2018-05-31 22:43:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 313,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6490249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelleDreamer/pseuds/BelleDreamer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shepard. The greatest hero ever born. Shepard has many origins: a colonist, a spacer, Earthborn. Shepard could be a man or a woman. But did you know that the Shepard on Mindoir was born as a twin? What if both had survived the raid? How would the Reapers have dealt with TWO great heroes instead of one? </p>
<p>An AU where twins, John and Jane Shepard, face the Reaper threat together. Spanning the course of all three games, DLCs, and a few comics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Shepards

**Author's Note:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material. This is a work that asks the question what if?
> 
> Toby’s Note: This story is came to me when I was browsing fanart for Mass Effect. It had a picture of Shepard with the colony origin killing the Batarians who tried to take her family. In the background there was a family, obviously hers. What really struck me was the twin in the group. From there it stewed in my mind and evolved into this story. Since we're talking about two Shepards, why not have two authors?
> 
> I hope you enjoy.
> 
> http://armesan.deviantart.com/art/Mass-Effect-Pain-287821332
> 
> Belle’s Note: I love the idea that all the Shepards exist, so multiple Shepard fictions make my day. Here's to all of us who love the idea of multiple Shepards floating around the galaxy kicking ass and taking names.

Prologue: The Shepards

 

 

Earth Date: June 6th, 2170 CE

Location: Mindoir Human Colony, Town of Meer, Café Capri

 

By Human standards, Mindoir was a relativaely young colony. People were still settling on the colony and it showed. The town of Meer was always bustling, day and night. The attached spaceport of Hale, named so by the colonists after the family who built it, was always a hive of activity. The Alliance had recently released a highly anticipated breakdown and consensus on which colonies were prospering. Unsurprisingly, Eden Prime was at the top of the list. What was surprising was that Mindoir was second on that list in terms of agriculture. Numerous other reports involving soil, population health, incidents with passing by species, and Mindoir was attracting much attention.

 

None of this mattered much however to John Shepard. What currently was occupying his mind was the woman sitting across from him. Elizabeth Dewitt had just crushed the dreams he had for his future on the colony.

 

"What do you mean no?!" John asked, genuinely shocked. He had been seeing Elizabeth since they had both been fourteen. For the last two years he thought she had felt the same way...

 

"John, I like you." Elizabeth said softly. She reached across the table in the cafe and took his numb right hand in hers, squeezing softly. "But I want to _do_ more than just live here. I want to work on my painting, I want to travel. I just sent some samples of my work in a data packet to Rossignol Acadamey on Thessia. If they accept me I'll leave after this semester finishes. I want to see the worlds and paint things no one has ever seen before."

 

"You could still do that!" John insisted. "I'm not saying you'd have to give it up but-!"

 

"No John. I care for you but I'm won't marry you. I'm sorry but I was looking for the right moment to tell you about this and tell you it was over. I wanted to find the right time to say this but I think I waited too long." Elizabeth said. She shook her head sadly and John swallowed, hard. He slid his hand away from hers.

 

"You should go back." John said gruffly. "I think I'm going to take the rest of the day off." Elizabeth nodded and stood up.

 

"I'm sorry John." she said again. John watched her go and walk down the street to school. He scrubbed a hand across his face, squeezing his blue eyes shut. God, he was so stupid. What was he thinking anyway, proposing at sixteen? John took a ragged breath. He needed to take some time to think. He'd leave the hover bike for Jane to take back to the farm. He needed to go for walk. It's not like he hadn't skipped class before.

 

Pushing away from the table in the little cafe he'd snuck Elizabeth to during lunch, he headed over to the counter to pay the bill.

 

~*TF*~

 

            'Don't think about it,' Jane thought as she read her biology book, filling out her homework. The pressure was building in her head and she had a sinking feeling she knew what it was. Biotic blue ran over her wrist for a moment and her omnitool closed as she slapped her hand down over the energy, pushing it away. It had started a few months ago and Jane knew she should talk to a doctor, there was no denying what she was. She just didn't want to have to have an implant shoved into her skull. The special training that she would need would send her off Mindoir and while she did want to explore space, she didn't want to leave before she finished secondary school. There was no denying it, she would not be able to hide it for much longer.

 

            "Jane Shepard please report to the dean's office.” a voice called over her omnitool and Jane sighed. Her headache was getting worse, but this time it whispered one thing. John. Jane quickly took the shortest route to the office and entered, Dean Collins was sitting behind his desk and gave her a familiar look.

 

            "When did he go missing?" Jane sighed.

 

            "We believe he headed out with his girlfriend at lunch.” Dean Collins said and Jane made a face.

 

            "Is Elizabeth back?" Jane asked and the dean nodded. "I'll go get him." Jane headed out and was thankful to see their hover-bike was still in its parking spot. It was going to be much faster to catch him with the bike, no doubt he left it on purpose so he could wander. Jane's head throbbed and while most of it was because of anger at her brother, a small part, a small part that was continuing to grow, was biotically painful.

 

~*TF*~

 

The thing that woke John up was the roar of a hover bike. He didn't even bother getting up from where he was laying. He heard the bike settle down with a dull thump on the other side of the hill where he had hidden himself. There were a few moments of silence before he heard a familiar female voice grumble his name. He kept his eyes closed as he heard a loud whistle, using a familiar tune taught to him by his father.

_Olly olly oxen free._

 

Upon hearing it he whistled it back just as loud. Shortly after he heard stomping footsteps come over the hill.

 

"I should have known you'd be here. Do you know it took them two hours to realize you were gone, again!"

 

John opened his eyes and looked up to see his fraternal twin sister standing above him, her hands balled into fists and jammed onto her hips.

 

"Sorry I had to think." John said and Jane rolled her blue eyes at him.

 

"Hello to you too! Guess who got sent to find you, again?! By the time we get back I'll have missed book club!"

 

John smirked and closed his eyes. He heard Jane huff but felt her sit next to him.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane reclined on the hill, overlooking their family farm. She lay down on her back and looked up at the sky. Mindoir was a great planet, it looked like Earth with a blue sky and mostly green plant life. Jane wanted to see the galaxy, but at the same time, she wasn't ready at sixteen.

 

            "Why did you run off?" she asked.

 

            "I asked Elizabeth to marry me.” he said and Jane sighed.

 

            "Of course you did. Maybe you should try growing up before getting married, I hear marriages last much longer when you do that.” she said.

 

            "I know, it was impulsive and stupid, but I love her.” John said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Anyone with eyes knows how you feel about Elizabeth.” she replied before turning to look at her brother. "I guess she broke up with you too."

 

            "That obvious?" he asked, turning to look at her.

 

            "You'd be following her around begging if she had only told you 'not yet,'" Jane explained and John nodded before looking up at the clouds.

 

            "When did my baby sister get so smart?" he asked and Jane snorted.

 

            "I'm only your baby sister by fourteen minutes.” she replied.

 

~*TF*~

 

"What are you going to do now?" Jane asked. John shrugged and sat up. He stared out over the small pond in the middle of the Shepard farm.

 

"Take everything a day at time I guess. My plans really don't change much, Jane. When I graduate I'll take some courses over the extranet but mostly I'll be staying here. Dad said if I did well he'd give me the back forty when I turn thirty." John said gesturing to area around them. "I've always liked it here. I could build a nice place to live here. What about you Jane? Ever thought about what you're going to do after we graduate?"

 

"John, that's a little over a year away." Jane replied. She was still lying on her back, cloud gazing.

 

"Still, have you ever thought about it?" He asked, lying back down next to his sister again.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane looked at the clouds. Oh she was thinking about it a lot. Since the biotics had started she had been counting down to when she was found out. She knew she should see a doctor, but she already knew what would happen. First she would be rushed off world to get an implant installed. Then she would be sent to one of the military run training camps. This far out, she would have to be given to an Alliance training center, the private biotic training centers were still closer to Earth.

 

            "Yeah, I think about it a lot. I have to go off world for medical school.” she said, feeling the sorrow. There were no biotic doctors. All the human biotics were in military programs. Biotics were weapons as far as humanity was concerned. Jane knew when she was discovered, she was not going to become a doctor.

 

            "Dr. Shepard.” John said with a smile and Jane watched the clouds move. "Don't you want to get to book club?"

 

            "Let's just watch the clouds a little longer.” Jane said. The twins laid there for awhile longer, enjoying the day and each other's presence.

 

Then a slow feeling of dread began to fill Jane as the sound of engines began in the sky.

 

~*TF*~

 

"What's that?" Jane said, pointing. John followed her finger to see a cluster of ships heading their way.

 

"Huh. I'm not sure. It looks like another group to setup another town. Remember how many came into port when they set up Cooper in the southern continent last year?" he noted.

 

"Yeah but they were announcing it months before hand. Look there's more! These ones are flying way to low. They could graze the tree tops if they're not c-" Jane was cut off as a ship did just that, blowing by the trees at the top of the hill they were lying on.

 

"What the hell?" John exclaimed. They both go up to look and Jane gasped as the ship turned back, opening a side door. There were people standing in the door way. It headed back their way, getting lower but also slowing down.

 

"John, those are Batarians." Jane said.

           

"What? No way."

 

"Look, they're getting closer too!"

 

They were getting closer and as the small ship passed by two Batarians in armor dropped out.

~*TF*~

 

            Jane grabbed John and pulled him into the foliage. She knelt down and thought about everything she knew about Batarian raids.

 

            "They can't be raiding.” John stated and Jane looked at him.

 

            "They can...and they are...we can't let them take us.” Jane stated and John stared at her a moment before they crouched down lower and inched further back. The two Batarians moved closer and closer. Their eyes flickering over the plants and field. This part of the farm was still natural, it wasn't going to be used, it was just property that was allowed to sit without development in the hopes that the property would become valuable later further in the future. Both twins slid down, but Jane couldn't stop shaking, it was a problem she noticed when the biotics started. She was always hungry and she would shake when trying to hold still. She fidgeted in class to keep it from happening at school, but here, she couldn't fidget so her body began to tremble.

 

~*TF*~

 

"Come out!" The leader demanded. John tried to force Jane even deeper into the bushes next to him. He felt his sister shaking and he rubbed his hand along her back to calm her.

 

"Are you sure you saw humans here?" The other Batarian asked.

 

"Positive, a male and female! They looked young and healthy. If they're not related we can get that breeding pair the Captain wanted for his own stable. I want that bonus!" The first snapped. Jane whimpered and John felt his heart sink. They were _slavers_. Jane let out a cry of shock when the ground shook from an explosion. They both turned toward town where a large plume of smoke was starting to rise.

 

"Well, I'll be damned. There they are!" The second said, pointing to the bushes they were crouched in.

 

"Run." John hissed at her and lunged out of the bushes at the Batarians. They blinked in surprised as John charged them with a scream. He tackled the first one and they went tumbling down. John did his best to attack the Batarian but the second one came up behind him and struck him in the back of his head with the butt of his rifle. John went rolling, feeling dazed.

 

"He's a feisty one!" The second Batarian laughed. The first snarled and hopped to his feet.

 

"Find the female!"

~*TF*~

 

            Jane turned when she heard the sound of a solid impact. Rage filled her and the pain in her head grew as she plastered her back to a tree. Biotic blue flickered in her eyes as she heard the approaching footsteps. It was risky, so risky, but John was down and Batarians were monsters. She had done a project in government class about Batarian relations. She had mentioned raids in her project, she had seen images of human bodies recovered from Batarian raids. She knew what they would do. A biotic implant was not something she wanted, but a Batarian brain bomb was infinitely worse.

 

            "Come out, human, we won't hurt you if you come out willingly.” a rumbling voice purred. Jane's fury was massive as she turned from behind the tree and thought about the biotic blue. Biotics had power and right now, she had power.

 

            "Biotic!" one cried before she lifted him up and slammed him into his companion. There was the crunch of bone. She then used her other hand to lift them both up, throwing them into the ground, this impact had more crunches. They bounced and she stared at one, all but one limb was twisted and two of his eyes were bloody holes, probably from impacting face first into his companion's armor. 

 

            "I'll kill you.” one of them growled, fumbling for his knife.

 

            "No...you won't.” she screamed and watched as his head crunched under her biotic force. Jane stared at the mess that had been the Batarian's head and stepped back. She had killed him without even trying. She looked to see John getting up, he was blinking, recovering from the daze. He looked back at the Batarian who Jane had 'skipped' across the ground. He was in bad shape, not dead, but if they left him, he would be.

 

            "What happened?" he asked and Jane felt moisture on her upper lip.

 

~*TF*~

 

"Jane?" John questioned. Jane shook her head, her nose bleeding.

 

"John, are you okay?" She asked.

 

"I'm fine but your nose is bleeding." John said, limping over. He tried not to think about the Batarian behind him, moaning. Jane blinked in surprise and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. When she took it away she winced at the sight of the blood.

 

"My head is killing me." She muttered, rubbing her temples.

 

"Sit." John said. Jane sat. "Rest a minute, I'm going to see if I can use one of their guns. Were Mom and Dad in town today?"

 

"Yeah, I think so." Jane said softly. She winced and rubbed at her eyes.

 

"Okay we'll go there first. I'll go see if I can get anything from these guys then we'll take the bike back into town."

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane's head throbbed, it felt so good letting her biotics go, it was the first time she really harnessed it and it was so easy. Too easy to kill. She clung to John's back as he flew. She was the better one on the bike, but he was worried, it was clear when he looked at her. John didn't know how she stopped them, but he got that she wasn't happy about stopping them that way. Her head wasn't feeling better, she had hoped that going all out would make her head stop hurting, but it wasn't. She had read about biotics when the signs started showing up, migraines were a regular problem for those with biotic skill. She closed her eyes and clung to John's back. She wished the guns had worked for them, but then had just made error noises when John touched them. John had said they were probably DNA encoded.

 

            "Oh no.” John hissed and Jane quickly opened her eyes. The horror that she saw took the breath out of her lungs and threw the pain in her head out of her concern. Death and destruction marred the town. The familiar sights were destroyed. The people of Meer were not helpless but such a quick and effective attack limited the resistance. Bodies of both humans and Batarians littered the streets. The hoverbike landed and Jane got off, there was a familiar set of legs next to the agricultural center's entrance. She ran, remembering the bright pair of overalls their mother loved and Jane dropped to her knees. Her body shook, not from her condition but from the emotional trauma, as she stared at her mother's corpse. A large, charred hole rested in the center of her back and Jane knew if she turned her mother over, it would be just as ugly from the front. Jane closed her mother's eyes and took the gun out of her mother's hands. Jane looked around and saw a few bodies on fire. Batarian slavers tried not to use incendiary ammo but they often used what they had on hand. The bodies burned and she approached. Sure enough she could see the rifle their father loved to hunt with on the ground next to one. It had to be their father. Both parents gone, so quickly. Jane struggled to remember if she told them she loved them this morning. Did she hug them? Kiss them? Let them know that she adored them. She turned to see John on his knees next to another body. Who could...oh no. The outfit was familiar, Elizabeth favored a blue jacket and skirt ever since she had cut her hair a month ago, it truly made her look like an artist. Jane stood and looked at her brother as he looked at the corpse of the woman he loved.

 

            "Looks like we missed some boys.” a voice laughed and Jane turned her attention down the street. A band of Batarians were looking pleased with themselves. Rage came back, blue biotics burned in her head.

 

            "John.” she said but he said nothing. Jane stared as the Batarians raised their guns. She couldn't control her biotics well. She had no implant but Asari children could form barriers. She could do what Asari children could, couldn't she?

 

~*TF*~

 

"John."

 

He felt numb.

 

"John."

 

He couldn't stop staring at her.

 

"John!"

 

He'd just spoken to her hours before. He'd held her hand, he kissed those lips this morning. He still lov-

 

"JOHN!"

 

He jerked as something snapped into place around him. It looked like shimmering bubble. It blocked the gunfire from the Batarians that had opened fire. If Jane hadn't been there...

 

Jane screamed, a sound of barely contained rage and the biotic bubble pulsed before dispersing. The pulse threw the Batarians back.

 

"RUN!" Jane screamed at him. John scrambled away from the scene towards his sister. Jane's nose was bleeding freely but the look in her eyes was pure fury.

 

"These humans are the last ones!" A Batarian screamed out, apparently the leader. "We need to hurry we can't keep the Alliance pinned forever."

 

John slammed into the ground, banging his head hard on the pavement as a Batarian tackled him from behind. John vision was swimming and then arms enclosed around his throat from behind. The Batarian tried to choke him but John slammed his head back. The Batarian let go, uttering an alien curse. John rolled under him, anger and rage driving him. He grabbed a piece of glass from nearby and jammed it into one of the Batarian’s eyes. The alien screamed in pain before a field of blue energy picked him. The Batarian screamed again as he went flying, smashing into a street lamp.

 

"Over here!" Jane shouted. John scrambled to his feet and ran to his sister and felt his eyes widen in shock as two large pieces of concrete levitated before hurtling at the Batarians. They went scrambling for cover.

 

"You're using biotics!" John exclaimed, surprised. Jane winced and staggered. John caught her but his own head was pounding and he was sure he felt blood running down the side of his head. Pain and exhaustion caught up with him and they sank to the street.

 

"I was." Jane muttered. John felt a deeper fear lance threw him as Jane looked up at him. Her eyes were severely blood shot, her nose was bleeding freely and there was even a bit of blood leaking from the corners of her eyes.

 

"Impressive." John's head snapped up. The Batarians were standing in front of them and the leader was smirking. "You two will fetch a high price."

 

Jane moaned and clutched at his shirt. John ground his teeth. The leader took some collars from a subordinate and reached for them.

 

Then the Batarian's head jerked back as a rifle round hit directly between all four of his eyes. The Batarians began to cry out in panic and scrambled away for cover.

 

The last thing John heard was the roar of gunfire as he passed out.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane's head was pure agony, she wanted to close her eyes and just scream, scream until everything was forgotten. Mom and Dad were alive. The colony was whole. There weren't burnt corpses in the street.

 

            "Shit! She's a biotic!" a voice cried. "Medic, we have a biotic."

 

            "Is she implanted?" another voice asked.

 

            "No...it just started..." Jane hissed as she opened her eyes. Alliance soldiers were looking down at her, a man and a woman.

 

            "Your biotics just started?" the woman asked and Jane nodded. "Well honey, what you did today did you no favors. You probably hurt yourself. I'm going to have to sedate you to keep you from doing any more damage to your neural pathways. Do you understand?"

 

            "Yes...just don't take me from my brother...we're...we're all we have now.” Jane whispered and the woman nodded as she prepped a shot. Jane barely felt it enter her system but felt the soothing cool relief that began to make the world fade away.

 

            "Shielding like that without an implant, I didn't think humans could do that.” the man's voice followed Jane into unconsciousness.

 

~*TF*~

 

John moaned and slowly opened his eyes. It was night now. He could see the stars and he realized he was still on Mindoir. He slowly sat up and saw a small camp fire. Sitting around it were humans in armor. Alliance armor. One saw him and stood.

 

"Corporal Larrey." The man said, moving towards him. Another man stood and moved to catch up. Both men knelt by him, and the man called Larrey opened a satchel on his hip to pull out some medical supplies.

 

"I'm Lt. Commander David Anderson. My squad was deployed with several others to help push the slavers off world. Can tell us your name, son?"

 

John nodded and as he glanced around he was relieved to see Jane lying not too far from him on his right.

 

"I'm John, John Shepard. That's my sister Jane."

 

"Well, John you're lucky we were in the area on a training mission with the SSV Einstein. Can you tell us how many lived in town and how many outlying farms there were on this continent?"

_'Were?'_ John thought.

 

"I think they last had it at about eight thousand in and around town. That includes the farms on the northern continent. There are thirty-seven farms." John said, forcing his brain to cough up the information. "Mr. Anderson, what about the southern continent?"

 

At John's question he heard someone give a hard sob. He glanced at the fire light and saw a woman in Alliance armor crying.

 

"Corporal?" Anderson questioned.

 

"He's fine sir. I'd recommend he get some more rest. I'll keep his sister sedated till we get her back to the Einstein. First time biotic manifestations without implants can do some damage but nothing permanent. They'll fix her up onboard and fit her with a biotic suppressant until they can get her the proper training and implants."

 

"Very good, see to Lieutenant Zabaleta." Anderson said. He turned his attention back to John as the medic moved to check on the crying woman. "It's been a rough day son, are you sure you can handle some more bad news?"

 

"I just saw some people I care about get killed, sir. I can take it." John said fiercely. Anderson studied him for a moment and then nodded.

 

"The southern continent fared better than you folks did here. Only about half got taken and they only killed about a quarter of the remaining populace." Anderson said gently.

 

"And here?" John asked quietly. Anderson sighed.

 

"You and your sister are the only ones to make it out alive and free. If we hadn't broken through when we did you would have been taken as well."

 

John squeezed his eyes shut. Gone, they were all gone.

 

He felt Anderson pat him on the shoulder but he refused to look at the man.

 

"Get some rest son. We're going to be evaced soon."

 

As the man moved away, John laid back down and let the tears finally come.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 8th, 2170 CE

Location: SSV Einstein

 

            Jane woke up slowly, the feeling of a hand on hers. She looked to see John and the tears in his eyes as he looked down at her.

 

            "You woke up.” he said and she nodded.

 

            "My head hurts.” Jane stated and he nodded.

 

            "They only woke you up so that you would know what was happening. They're going to split us up.” he said. "You...you're a..."

 

            "I'm a biotic, John, I've known for a little while. I know what's going to happen to me.” Jane said and he stared at her. "I was going to make an appointment with Dr. Hoffman, to make it official. I studied what would happen to me. They're going to take me to Elysium for implant surgery and training."

 

            "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

 

            "I wasn't ready to accept it yet. I was getting my courage together to make the appointment.” Jane whispered as she squeezed her brother's hand. "I have to get training. I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

 

            "I forgive you, Jane.” John said. "I won't be able to go with you to Elysium will I?" he asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I'm sorry, we will keep track and meet up when we can.” Jane said.

 

            "We will, I can't let my baby sister think she's alone in the galaxy.” John said.

 

            "Only by fourteen minutes.” Jane said.

 

            "Okay, she needs to go back under.” the medic stated and John looked at her.

 

            "But you said that she could have biotic suppressants.” he said and Jane stared at him for a moment before squeezing his hand.

 

            "John, I'm a traumatized biotic, sometimes suppressants aren't enough.” Jane said.

 

            "How do you know?" he asked.

 

            "John, I saw the same things you did. We are both traumatized, the difference is, you'll just be emotional, I'll be dangerous. The order probably came from above, no one wants an untrained biotic ripping a hole in the hull.” Jane said and John gave her a look.

 

            "I'll be here for the surgery, they can't deny me seeing you wake up.” he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'd feel better if you were there after I wake up from the implant surgery." she said, squeezing his hand.

 

            "I wish I was a biotic too. Then you wouldn’t have to go through this alone." he mumbled. Jane smiled softly.

 

            "Don't know why you’re not one, but if you're not showing signs you might not have been mutated by eezo." she whispered as the sedative entered her body.

 

            "Hundreds of pregnant women have been exposed to eezo, but the number of biotics is incredibly small, not every child exposed prenatal to eezo even has any side effects. It's rather interesting that one twin developed biotics at all when the other didn't, but it is completely possible. I’ll have to write a paper on this when we…" the medic prattled on as Jane returned to unconsciousness.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: May 10th, 2174 CE

Location: Earth, Rio de Janeiro, Interplanetary Combative Academy

 

"Alright you maggots listen up! I am Senior Chief Petty Officer Mendez! Your CO's saw something they think is good enough for advanced training! Well I'm here to inform you that I'm going to be running each of you through the strainer to shift out the shit from the shinola! And if I think for one fraction of a second you're not giving me everything you have I will personally wash you out and give you a boot in the ass on the way out! Now when I call your service number and name you will present yourself. This will be done in groups of five. This will be your squad for the next six months. So if any of you can count that means we have only fours squads!"

 

John stood at attention under the hot sun and waited his turn. Ever since he heard about the N7s in boot he'd wanted to be one. After all the best way to protect people was have the training to do so. He' couldn't wait to write Jane and let her know he was in the program already. He had to wonder if she was still bouncing between assignments and crash courses on Elysium.

 

"Next is Delta Squad. Service number 5923-AC-2825! Shepard, John!" John quickly moved forward saluted and assumed the ready position. He almost staggered when Chief Mendez spoke again.

 

"Service number 5923-AC-2826! Shepard, Jane!"

Jane smirked as she moved beside John and gave him a look from the corner of her eye. She saluted. Her biotic training was done and there were whispers that her training regiment would be used in the new biotic school they were building. She was a little jealous that she missed out on Grissom Academy, but maybe she could go back one day and teach. Of course if she made herself too useful to the Alliance she might not have the time for something as mundane as teaching...even if she would be teaching biotics.

 

"Did you really think a biotic of my abilities wouldn't be here?" she whispered and John smirked.

 

John stood at attention with Jane by his side and couldn't help but smile as the other members of his squad were assembled. Maybe, just maybe they might make it through this training.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 29th, 2174 CE

Location: Earth, Rio de Janeiro, Interplanetary Combative Academy, War Game Simulation Field Seven

 

            The teams moved across the field. War games was a favorite of Jane's, it made her analytical mind overjoyed to use their opponents' weaknesses to their advantage.

 

            "Sniper in position.” Jane whispered into her communicator.

 

            "Are you secure?" John's voice came into her ear.

 

            "Ready to barrier in a moment's notice.” she replied. "I got eyes on the field. Enemy is in two groups attempting to flank."

 

            "How many guarding their flag?" John asked.

 

            "One assault rifle and their sniper...oh, he should not be there.” she purred.

 

            "Can you take him out?" John asked.

 

            "How many you want down?" she replied.

 

            "Take out the guards. Go with plan Sierra Alpha first, follow with a Charlie Kilo, and then let's finish them with a Sierra Tango Tango.” John ordered.

 

            "Is this going to be another Shepard Show?" someone moaned.

 

            "What is our rank in the war games?" John asked.

 

            "I do believe this squad is undefeated, could that be due to us?" Jane replied.

 

            “Don’t remind me.” Some else grumbled.

 

            "Initiate Sierra Alpha!" John barked, cutting off the friendly banter and Jane quickly took out the leader of the other team before taking out their sniper. Both shots were headshots. The dummy rounds deactivated weapons of 'dead' players.

 

            "Charlie Kilo!" John roared as he and the majority of the rest of the team charged the two waves that had paused. Jane was making head shots quickly before she activated her barrier, keeping herself safe from the assault rifle.

 

            "Sierra Tango Tango!" John laughed and Jane dropped down a few branches and took out the assault rifle while John charged quickly stealing the opposing team’s flag and running. She covered him before dropping to the ground as he reached their stage.

 

            "A perfect War Game record for the team led by John Shepard.” the announcer cried and Jane smirked as she slung her sniper rifle onto her back.

 

            "You should be in charge.” John said with a grin.

 

            "Nah.” Jane replied. "I prefer my sniper rifle to charging in without being aware of the situation."  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: August 26th, 2176 CE

Location: Elysium Colony, City: Illyria

 

If there was one thing Shepard treasured it was shore leave. He liked getting to see other planets, other cultures. Elysium wasn't too far from his last mission and he had requested for some R&R. His request had been granted.

 

"Lieutenant Shepard!"

 

Turning at the sound of his name being called, John smiled as he saw Agenia Lasia running up to him. The Asari matron reached him and immediately bent over panting. He had met Agenia shortly after his arrival. She was in charge of recovering a large stash of eezo that the colonists had discovered recently.

 

"Are you alright ma'am?" He asked. She waved a hand at him as she took in deep breaths.

 

"I've...been...looking....everywhere for you." The Asari gasped out.

 

"Is there a problem?" John asked. Agenia nodded and stood up, having finally caught her breath.

 

"Commander Velasquez asked to see you at the communications building." She responded. Commander Velasquez was the one in charge of security for Illyria.

 

"Thank you ma'am. You have a good day at the dig site." John said, heading for the communication building at a jog. When he got there he was surprised to find a Private Wheeler outside the door standing guard.

 

"Sir, the CO is waiting for you inside with Lance Corporal Yoder." Prvt. Wheeler said after snapping off a crisp salute which John returned.

 

"Thank you Private." John said, entering. There he found the aforementioned officers standing behind a civilian who was seated at the communications console. Commander Velasquez looked up and waved John over to them.

 

"Good, you're hear just in time too. We might have a problem."

 

"What is it sir?" John asked. The Commander point satellite radar image. It was showing multiple cruisers entering orbit.

 

"They refuse all hails and their IFFs have been scrubbed blank. We have no idea if they're stopping by for supplies or if it's the Seventh. They were supposed to be stopping by for a supply drop and more colonists. If it's the Seventh fleet, they were supposed to be passing by an electrical storm on the way here. That might have scrambled their IFF signatures and communications. I know you have experience and knowledge of raids. Do any of the formations look familiar to you?"

 

John studied the read out for a moment and understood the Commander's confusion. The format was _close_ to an Alliance formation. Enough that it might be the Seventh after a communications break down or mercenaries who were trying to imitate Alliance formations. After what had happened on Mindoir, John had studied extensively every report on how slaves and mercenary raids operated.

 

John scowled. Damn it was hard to tell. Just before he was going to say he had no idea he saw it.

 

"There, can you scan that sector in more detail?" John asked the civilian. The man nodded and tapped away at the console for a few minutes. The sector filled in with dozens of smaller dots.

 

"What is that, space debris?" LCpl Yoder asked. John snarled.

 

"No, those are drop ship signatures. They show up when they're launched at high speeds. For snatch and grabs they drop the ships while still de-accelerating into a steady orbit. It gives us less time to identify them before they hit ground. It's a raiding party." John declared.

 

"Damn, they have the worst timing." Commander Velasquez grumbled. "We're in the middle of rotations and supply drops here. We have little man power and supplies."

 

"I bet they've been monitoring communications and that's why they hit now. They _know_ that." John said. "Sir, with all do respect we need to signal the Alliance and then get the civilians to safety."

 

"And where exactly would be safe?"  LCpl Yoder snarked.

 

"The excavation caves. Agenia Lasia and her team have been tunneling for eezo ever since the colonists found those samples. The caves are big and deep enough to provide cover and protection. Not to mention the air scrubbers on the inside will recycle our air just as easily as removing eezo dust while they mine. We could set up choke points and even collapse the entrances to keep them out as a last resort." John exclaimed. Commander Velasquez smiled.

 

"Good thinking, Shepard." The Commander turned to the civilian in the chair. "Jackson, signal the Alliance and inform them of our situation. If you can't raise them, record a message and set it for continuous broadcast. Then get yourself to the caves."

 

The Commander turned and headed for the door, unholstering his assault rifle. "Let's get these people to safety."

 

"Sir, where's the armory? I want to help." John requested. Commander Velasquez smirked and nodded.

 

"Two blocks up. It's in Alliance HQ. You grab the few personnel there and gear up. The code is 0117Alpha2Tango." Commander Velasquez said heading out.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: August 27th, 2176 CE

Location: SSV Cairo

 

            "Shepard!" Captain O'Donnell called and Jane quickly stood up and saluted.

 

            "Captain."

 

            "You have a brother...John?" he asked and Jane nodded, her heart fluttered up to her throat, that horrible dread came, like that day on Mindoir. Since they were both in the Alliance, Jane had accepted that she might one day receive a notification of death. She kept her face calm and clamped down on her biotics.

 

            "Yes, sir.” she stated.

 

            "You need to come with me.” he said and she quickly followed him up to the command deck. A comm message showed several commanding officers waiting for her. She was puzzled but took a ready stance.

 

            'John, I swear you better not have gotten yourself killed,' Jane thought as she stood facing the grim-faced men.

 

            "Operations Chief Jane Shepard.” Jane said, saluting.

 

            "Shepard, have you heard about the current situation on Elysium?" one of the men asked and she shook her head.

 

            "No, sirs.” Jane responded and felt terror rising again at their looks.

 

            "We need your help. Your brother is helping to fight off the largest raider force ever recorded.” one of the men said and Jane fought a smirk. If there were slavers, she felt no pity for them and just a little jealousy that she wouldn't be there to help kill them.

 

            "John's the best man you could have on Elysium then.” Jane replied. "My brother and I have extensively studied the various methods that mercs and slavers take when attacking a colony."

 

            "That's why we are contacting you. You have published several safety guidelines for how colonies should prepare for raids. You also know how your brother thinks, what do you think your brother is doing, so we can help him as soon as we enter the system.” one man said and Jane looked at Captain O'Donnell.

 

            "Here's the current data on Elysium.” he said, handing her a data tablet. Jane quickly read.

 

            "I cannot tell you what he is doing offensively, but he would have gotten all of the civilians someplace safe. The slavers don't want the Alliance soldiers, they'll kill the military and take the civilians. If you see people fighting the mercs and slavers on the ground they will either be Alliance soldiers or dressed up to look like Alliance soldiers.” Jane said. "John will probably put the civilians in the mines."

 

            "That's an easy defense.” one man nodded.

 

            "It makes it hard to capture people who only have one entrance to reach. The attackers could even destroy the openings to the mines, but with all the scrubbers for eezo located down there, those people could be down there for a few years before they ran out of air. As long as they have enough food supplies, it is the best fortress.” Jane said.

 

            "How should we approach the planet?" another man asked and Jane stood at the ready.

 

            "If it flies and it is not responding to Alliance hails with the proper response, it should be shot out of the sky. Extreme prejudice should be used the second they are spotted.” she stated.

 

            "What if the colonists are trying to escape?" another man asked.

 

            "The slavers will have hit the airfields first, they don't want any air born combatants. Alliance fighters are tough, they'll have destroyed most of the colony's vessels. Beyond that, John will have already told them that trying to escape is foolish, most slavers have one or two vessels in space hidden just to catch any who might try.” Jane reported. "John won't let them risk it."

 

            "Are you so sure?" the first man asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "John and I survived Mindoir, we joined the Alliance to protect all people from such a fate. I published my reports and safety measures to make sure things like this, don't go in the favor of the mercs and slavers.” she said. "John would rather die, than let the slavers take a single colonist off that planet."

 

            "You heard the Operations Chief, all vessels go in ready for combat. All ships in the air should be considered enemy combatants and should be taken down with extreme prejudice.” the calmest man on screen stated before the screens began to blink off. The man looked at Jane. "You're going to go far, Shepard."

 

            "Could I make a request, Sir?" Jane asked and the man looked at her.

 

            "Proceed.” he said.

 

            "I want to be there.” she said and the man chuckled.

 

            "Captain O'Donnell, the Cairo is heading to the nearest mass relay correct?" the man asked.

 

            "Yes, sir, Rear-Admiral Hackett.” he said.

 

            "Make sure, Chief Shepard is on the first ship down to the colony when you get there.” Hackett said.

 

            "Thank you, Rear-Admiral.” Jane said, saluting.

 

            "No, thank you, Shepard.” Hackett replied. 

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: August 28th, 2176 CE

Location: Elysium Colony, Sixty-Three klicks south of the city of Illyria, 23:07 hrs

 

"Damn."

 

"What is it?"

 

"I see another five ships heading for them. They’ll have at least seventy men on the field after this drop."

 

"I think you made them mad, Shepard."

 

John stayed silent, watching the men unload through the night vision binoculars they had managed to scrounge up. Shortly in the first day of fighting, mercenary troops had started shooting anyone who fought back. Now only the Batarians and Krogan were taking prisoners. The Turian and human mercenaries were now shooting anything that wasn't theirs. John had even seen them shoot a Batarian who had to strip out of his armor after it caught fire. They didn’t trust anything that didn't have a merc tag.

 

"Well they wised up after we blew up their makos." Tonus Keros said, chuckling. John glanced at the turian crouched next to him. Tonus was a soldier from the Turian Hierarchy and he said that he’d retired to Elysium for the quiet. John had to respect the man. He walked with a strong limp, but he'd saved John's life numerous times during the Blitz.

 

"They're spreading out and moving in on foot. They keep getting reinforced while our defenses keep wearing down." John said looking back threw his binoculars. What he said was true. When this had started two days ago they had about twenty-five soldiers. They had been comprised of soldiers either on leave or scattered about the city and a handful of civilian volunteers. They had taken heavy pounding the past two days. The mercs and slavers hadn’t even bothered to code their comm chatter. From what John and his rag-tag team had eavesdropped on, they were focusing all their efforts here. The mercs knew that if they took Illyria and the surrounding area they would be entrenched when help finally came. Too bad Shepard and the others hadn't let that happen. Yet his men were all starting to wear out. After the last day of fighting all that was left was himself, Tonus, Yoder, and Jackson. John had also left small teams of two guard the mine entrances. John had assumed command early in the first day Commander Velasquez had been killed trying to save Privete Wheeler. Neither had made it.

 

John heard a soft click behind him and felt his blood run cold. He slowly turned around and saw Yoder lighting a cigarette.

 

"Put that out!" he hissed to the Lance Corporal.

 

"Why it's not like they can see it from there. Besides I'm behind the hill." He grumbled.

 

"No but the heat can give away our position if they have thermal detectors up. Our armor will scatter any readings from our bodies but a heat flare from any burning narcotic will register as a heat spike." Tonus chided.

 

"Oh come on they haven’t used anything like that yet. Not everyone is like you, a stuck up-"

 

"INCOMING!" Jackson screamed. John reacted on instinct, tackling Tonus and sending them down the hill. They hit the bottom in time to look back up. Yoder was trying to get down the hill fast but he tripped as he was running. In the next moment John saw the man get vaporized in a barrage of grenade explosions.

 

"Go, head back to the caves! Arm the charges and head inside." John snapped to Jackson and Tonus. "Hand me your grenades before you go. I'm going to hold them off."

 

"But Shepard-"

 

"NOW!"

 

The two men scrambled to their feet. They handed John their grenades and hurried off. As they ran John turned to the left and ran.

 

He didn't know how long he ran. He ran for what felt like hours. When he was sure he was far enough away, he turned north. He pushed, trying to keep his pace hard and fast. When he couldn't keep running at full tilt he slowed to a jog. He kept jogging till the sun came up. Then he turned east. Then he slowed to a brisk walk. Finally he reached the merc shuttles and he saw them.

 

Just as he had planned the platoon of mercs had begun marching towards the caves, and left their rear guard completely exposed. John quickly went from spot to spot, planting a few grenades, in a bush, behind a hill, or in a ditch. Then, he took a deep breath and tossed his last few grenades under the shuttles.

 

The shuttles exploded in a large fire ball. As the mercs rushed back to check on their burning ships, John opened fire. The mercs cried out in panic. They began to scramble about as they realized they themselves were under attack. John lobbed a grenade into the mess of them. As the explosion rang out he ran for the next spot. The mercs were converging on where he had been when he opened fire again, this time from a ditch. Again, the mercs began to panic, he tossed another grenade and ran to the next spot after it went off.

 

This went on for hours. Shepard would zip from cover to cover, laying down fire, tossing grenades, sowing confusion and bringing the mercs to a dead stop. He had a close call once, when a pyro had exploded near his position. The shrapnel had narrowly missed his left eye but had left a jagged wound from his left temple to the left side of his chin. He'd slapped some medi gel on it and kept moving.

 

And then as the sun began to set the firing slowed to trickle and then stopped. John watched and waited. Then slowly, he stood and gazed about at the field. Everything smoked. It covered the area in a haze. There were a few fires burning and craters all over.

 

Not one merc or slaver was left alive.

 

With a rasping breath exhaustion hit John like a boulder. He fell back onto his ass and stared at the ruin he had caused. Then the roar of shuttle engines filled the air. John looked up wildly trying to find the source. When he did he began to laugh.

 

The Alliance had finally come.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was the first one off her shuttle and she ran for the mines. She climbed the largest hill and looked through her scope. Dead mercs of almost every flavor littered the ground. She glared at the human corpses in merc armor, traitors to their own kind, their deaths weren't slow enough for her liking. She looked around before whistling a familiar tune.

_Olly Olly Oxen Free_

 

            A replying whistle carried and she ran. Repeating the tune twice before finding her brother sitting on the ground. He looked like shit.

 

            "You've had better days.” she stated as she helped him up, her hand moved to the wound on his face. It looked like he had let it go untreated. It would probably scar. "You okay?"

 

            "Just tired. Give me a rest, baby sister, I feel my years today.” he said.

 

            "Only fourteen minutes older.” she chided as she helped him. Her brother...the hero.         

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: October 12th, 2177 CE

Location: Akuze Colony

            "Sir, is this another bug hunt.” Daniels asked and Jane gave him a withering glare.

 

            "This is the usual issue with colonies. We lost contact and are going in to make sure that it wasn't another raid.” Major Matsumoto growled as he looked over his crew. "You are expected to treat this with the greatest respect."

 

            "Hey, LT, didn't you survive a raid attack.” Corporal Hicks asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Less than twenty percent of my entire planet survived that attack alive and free. The northern continent only had two non-enslaved survivors.” Jane stated as she checked her pistols and sniper rifle.

 

            "Wow, do you know them?" Hicks asked and she gave him a look before smirking.

 

            "It was my twin brother and myself.” she stated and the men went silent.

 

            "I guess I won't make that joke about rescuing colonists' daughters from their virginity.” Jennings muttered.

 

            "Yeah, might not fly.” Jane chuckled, Hicks was hovering close again. The marine was her age and she had noticed how he looked at her. Most men were put off by biotics, but it seemed the Hicks didn't seem to care. Jane fought a blush, most men didn't seem attracted to a woman as skilled as her with biotics and a sniper rifle. Though, she smirked, the sniper rifle was a little scary. 

 

            The shuttle landed and the group quickly moved out. Jane quickly found a large rock formation. With some biotic help, she reached the top and pulled out her sniper rifle.

 

            "Shepard, I want a report.” Major Matsumoto growled.

 

            "Sir...this is a ghost town. I don't see anything. Not a person, not a body, it's empty.” Jane whispered, a sinking feeling of danger rushed her, making her feel like that moment on Mindoir when the ships approached. "I don't like this, Major, I got a bad feeling."

 

            "You always say that, Shepard, I got a bad feeling about this drop.” Daniels chuckled.

 

            "She's usually right, idiot.” Hicks stated and Jane smiled at that. 

 

            "I want a walk through, every building checked, every stone unturned, do you hear me?" Major Matsumoto ordered, he sounded unhappy, he was feeling the same wrongness that Jane was.

 

            "Sir, yes, sir!" came the reply.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Empty.” Hicks said and Jane looked around. "This a raid?"

 

            "No, too clean, there's not a person or a body, or even a drop of blood.” Jane said. "This isn't right."

 

            "What do raids usually look like?" Hicks asked and Jane looked at him.

 

            "Read my manual, it's being used by the Alliance to help train marines.” she growled. Hicks was usually better about being informed, he didn't read the manual that Jane had written about raids. He chuckled.

 

            "I read the manual, but it was analytical, professional, there was no soul in it.” he said. "I want you, Jane Shepard, to tell me what a raid would have looked like." She stared at him for a moment. His brown eyes were light, like a shade of tan. He was sincere and Jane fought a blush which made him smile slightly.

 

            "It smells like fear. The coppery smell of blood. The harsh smell of burning flesh and hair. Hot metal from impacts. It isn't this quiet either. There is the sound of fire burning. Water running from pipes ruptured by gunfire. You can smell and hear the signs, it's not just bodies. This wasn't a raid. I don't know what this was.” Jane said and Hicks looked at her for a moment.

 

            "When we get back, let me buy you dinner.” he said and Jane blinked.

 

            "Are you asking me out, Corporal?" she asked.

 

            "No, ma'am, First Lieutenant, I am asking out a woman who I find fascinating.” he said. Jane stared, her last date had been at biotic training. Biotics seemed doomed to finding relationship only amongst themselves sometimes. None of hers progressed beyond a first date. It couldn't hurt dating a non-biotic male.

 

            "A free meal sounds good.” she said as she moved toward the next building, the hospital. She noticed that the building seemed lower than usual. "Do these structures look level to you?"

 

            "Now that you mention it, no.” he said.

 

            "I'm starting to think there might have been seismic activity, the colonists may have evaced to a secondary site.” Jane muttered, activating her communicator. She missed the grin on Hicks face as he mentally congratulated himself on getting a date with the attractive LT. "Major Matsumoto, I think there might have been earthquakes, most of the buildings I'm seeing aren't level. There may have been a mass evac to a second location."

 

            "Damn if I wasn't thinking the same thing, Shepard. I want eyes in the sky looking for that evac point.” the Major ordered.

 

            "Yes, sir.” came the reply. 

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane entered the town hall and looked at the command center Major Matsumoto had set up. The man looked angry and turned to her.

 

            "How did it look to the east?" he asked and Jane looked at her small group. The team had broken up into five teams of ten. One group went in each cardinal direction before returning back to the command center.

           

            "More of the same, sir. Empty buildings, no sign of a struggle, but a few of the houses did have something suspicious," Jane stated and Matsumoto gave her a look.

           

            "What did you find?" he asked.

            "Tables that were set for dinner," Hicks answered. "Looked like a few of the families left mid-meal."

           

            "Maybe there were tremors," Matsumoto stated before the West team approached. "Report, Daniels."

           

            "We found a few of the prefab homes on their sides, looked like dominoes that fell," Daniels stated and Jane looked at the map of the colony.

           

            "Could give merit to our earthquake theory," Matsumoto muttered. "But there is no record of a secondary site for emergency evac."

 

            "Ma'am?" Hicks asked and Jane looked at him.

 

            "I don't see an obvious meeting point. This is just too, weird," Jane confessed.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane ate her MRE cautiously, watching the darkness around the colony. The empty buildings were nothing like Mindoir, these were arid structures, massive climate control units sat on the roof, obscuring her from view.

 

            "Shepard, you didn't have to give me eyes until 20:00 hours.” Major Matsumoto stated over her ear piece.

 

            "I don't like sitting in someone's empty house. I feel more at ease on duty.” she stated as she finished her meal.

 

            "If Shepard is already on duty can I come down for dinner?" Toombs asked.

 

            "Might as well, give me a regular report LT.” Matsumoto growled.

 

            "Can do, Major.” Jane replied.

 

            The night was cold, colder than the day. It was weird to be in a more arid colony, but somehow still familiar. Jane walked the top of the housing unit. Slow, quiet, blending into the night as she looked around. There was a low rumble, like a small tremor. She had felt this on Elysium, areas near mines felt like this. She blinked as she looked around. Akuze had popped up with a few very good mineral samples. Could there be a mine nearby, a place where colonists might have gone during an emergency?

 

            "Major...I'm getting tremors.” Jane reported and there was some chatter as people woke up.

 

            "I'm feeling some tremors too.” Hicks stated and Jane looked for his position in the town square. He was looking around with Daniels. Suddenly there was more tremors and Jane dropped to one knee, pushing her shoulder into a rooftop unit to stabilize her body. 

 

            "Oh my God!" a voice screamed and there was an ungodly noise, something non-mammalian, big, and hungry. A purring noise and then screams.

 

            "Who was that?" Matsumoto roared over the comms and Jane pulled her sniper rifle up, peering through the scope, she couldn't make out all the teams.

           

            "Shepard, I'm solo, East boundary, rooftop," Jane called.

           

            "Hicks with Daniels, town square, ground," Hicks reported. One by one groups began reporting until there was another rumble and one of the buildings on the southern boundary fell over.

 

            "What the...oh sweet Buddha!" a voice screamed and there was more of that hideous purring noise.

 

            "Activity at the southern boundary, I can't see anything," Jane reported.

 

            "Damn it, that's Jennings and Chow. Report! Jennings! Chow!" Major Matsumoto cried before there was more rumbling and Jane looked around.

           

            "What is it?" someone cried, clearly panicked and there was a more horrid scream. A mortal scream. The scream of someone who was not expecting death and finding it waiting for them. Jane's blood chilled at the sound.

 

            "It's coming from under the ground! It's coming from out of the goddamned ground!" a voice cried in horror before the screams of agony began.

 

            Jane quickly ran, getting a clear view of the main camp. Thresher maw. It was just two words but seeing the creature in action. It looked like a massive centipede, waving like a snake to music only it could hear, the hideous mouth was stained red.

 

            A biotic blast knocked the monster's head to the side as it went to strike. Jane barely recognized that she threw the blast before she was running. The creature sunk into the ground faster than a kid sucking a noodle into their mouth. The Southern part of town sprouted a Thresher Maw, it was not possible that the one she fired on was that fast. They were dealing with two. She used a biotic push to throw herself onto the next building. She slid behind the climate unit just as the structure she had been on went air born. It was thrown blocks away and Jane stared in awe. Thresher maw, there could be nothing in nature more horrifying than this. She took aim and shot out one of its eyes quickly. It roared and there were more shots.

 

            "Cease fire! Cease fire! Retreat, get to the LZ get to the LZ!" she hissed.

 

            "Where's the Major?" a terror filled voice howled.

 

            "The Major's dead! That fucking thing ate him!" another panicked voice screamed.

 

            "There isn't just one! There are at least three!" Toombs voice gasped and Jane looked around. Men were running around, it was chaos. The Major was silent, he probably was dead.

 

            "This is first Lieutenant Jane Shepard! You will listen to me. Get to the LZ. Stop firing, I will draw its attention, get to the LZ, I repeat, get to the LZ!" Jane roared as she lifted her rifle and shot the monster several times. She saw the flashes in the darkness of her men running and she followed suit on the roof, just in case it hit the building she was on. There had been at least five deaths. She watched as a Maw rose up, swallowing four men in one quick attack up out of the ground and back down.

 

            A few biotic bursts sent her on. The rumbling grew, one was coming up. "Come and get me." She looked around. The building next to her erupted, it didn't throw this building, it ripped right through it. Jane felt the slice of metal through her skin and quickly pulled up a barrier, sliding under a major ventilation duct, out of sight. She didn't know how good the Thresher Maws could see, but she wasn't going to play games. The Maw in front of her roared before retreating into the ground. She stood up and felt a little dizzy, she touched the side of her face. Debris had sliced up her left cheek. A quick dab of medigel to stop the bleeding was necessary, she couldn't have blood in her eyes.

 

            Jane got up, she turned to see a collection of men circled around. They were firing at two Maws, one spat at them and the goop covered them. One began to scream, clutching at his eyes, blood seeping between his fingers. It was enough for the second Maw to start attacking.

 

            "Get to the LZ! This is first Lieutenant Jane Shepard, I repeat, get to the Landing Zone!" she cried as she took pop shots at the Thresher Maws, she might as well have been using bad language to fight them. She jumped along, she was almost out of colony and a rumble sounded. It was too far. She looked at the incline, her remaining men were almost to the bedrock. A squad of fifty, a small group of eight. She dropped to the ground and began to run after them. The thresher maw appeared, Daniels screamed as he was lifted up, one of the massive spikes speared him through the torso, pushing him into the hideous abyss of a mouth.

 

            "No!" Jane screamed as she ran, shooting at the thing. It dropped its torso down, crushing several men she couldn't identify and never would be able to given the bloody smear decorating its belly.

 

            She watched as Hicks turned, firing his weapons into the maw's belly. It roared, slamming its body down. He didn't scream but there was a gasp. The maw returned underground and Jane could see random arms, legs, pieces of flesh from each and every one of her men, and Hicks' head, staring up at her, shocked in death about how he got there. She wanted to stop, to pick up the pieces, to hold Hicks head and apologize for the date that they would never have now. She couldn't stop, the monsters weren't dead and they were gluttons.

 

            The colony probably felt the tremors and thought it was an earthquake. They evacuated away from the town. Colony structures aren't the best for earthquakes and with massive climate units on the top, most people probably went to the large field outside of the town, nothing to fall on them there. The maws came up, taking people out in one massive attack. It would have left no evidence and a completely empty colony.

 

            Jane ran, pushing her body, she was almost there and she forced her body to move faster. The ground began to shake and she shoved at the ground with her biotics, throwing her body up and over the bedrock. She watched a Maw erupt from the ground, waving its massive body around, close enough that she could see the blood soaking its mouth, but far enough that it wouldn't catch her. She landed and ran. All dead. Major Matsumoto....probably one of the first. Hicks the last. She ran for the LZ, a shuttle was arriving and she ran, her lungs on fire, her eyes wide with fear, and blood staining her face and armor.             

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: October 15th, 2177 CE

Location: Earth Moon: Luna, Armstrong City, Military Hospital

 

 

"Where is she?" John demanded as he stormed onto the floor. A doctor looked up from the nurses' station with a jerk, paper work forgotten.

 

"I'm sorry?" She asked. John frowned at her.

 

"Where is Jane Shepard?" He demanded. The doctor swallowed, hard.

 

"Room 1492." She squeaked. John stormed past her and headed for his sister's room. As soon as he heard about Akuze he'd immediately asked for shore leave. Ever since the Blitz and his promotion to N7 he'd been kept informed on his sister. And it figured, on her first assignment as an N7 she got sucked into a Thresher Maw nest.

 

Not even bothering to knock John stormed into the room of the last person left alive that he cared about. His sister Jane...the sole survivor.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Jane..." John said, his eyes wide and his face reading concern. She looked at him, she was fine, just minor sprains from throwing herself with her biotics and running on strained joints.

 

            "I'm alive, John.” she said calmly. The drugs in her system made it easy to compartmentalize what had happened.

 

            "I'm glad.” he said as he quickly took her hand. She squeezed it as she looked back out the window. "What the hell happened?"

 

            "Colony didn't know about the thresher maws. Thought the vibrations were an earthquake. Standard procedure for arid colony structures is to evac to empty field. Maws probably didn't have to attack more than once to get the whole colony. One attack and they were gone. We didn't evac, we stayed in town, they ripped through the structures like it was tissue paper." Jane pondered. "I had a bad feeling about that one."

 

            "I'm sorry, you had a good team.” he said.

 

            "Not good enough.” she muttered as she gave in to the drugs and slept.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 25, 2183 CE

Location: The Citadel, Earth Ambassador's Office

 

"Well, what about one of the Shepards? They both grew up in the colonies."

 

"They both do know how tough life can be out there. Their parents were killed when slavers attacked Mindoir."

 

"Picking one of them is the difficult part. John proved himself during the Blitz. He held off enemy forces on the ground till reinforcements could arrive. Jane however saw her whole unit die on Akuze. She could have some serious emotional scars."

 

"John is the reason Elysium is still standing and as for Jane every soldier has scars. She and her brother have both proven they're survivors."

 

"We can't question John's courage but is Jane really the kind of person we want protecting the galaxy?"

 

"Humanity needs a hero and the Shepards are the best we've got. Both of them are exactly the kind of people we want protecting the galaxy."

 

"Then I'll make the call Anderson."


	2. Spectres

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Shepard was not shocked to find Nihlus was inspecting him as a potential human Spectre. But when the shit hit the fan on Eden Prime Jane Shepard proved that courage and skill ran in the Shepard bloodline. Jane witnesses Saren's betrayal first hand and the two must convince the Council that Saren is the enemy and that someone needs to go into the Terminus to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Chapter 1: Spectres

 

 

Earth Date: May 30th, 2183 CE

Location: SSV Normandy, Between Relay Jumps

 

John moved from the back the ship to the front with a purpose.  He heard Joker informing the crew of their approach to the Arcturus Prime relay. During normal jumps a pilot wouldn't necessarily tell the entire crew about every single step. This wasn't a normal run however. This was the Normandy SR-1 's shakedown run. Ever since Shepard had been assigned to Captain Anderson every waking moment had been in prep for this moment. Getting to know the crew, catching up with Anderson, everything for this moment. A quick jaunt through the relays and back home for final inspection. Then they would be assigned to a flotilla. Then, if Anderson was true to his word, within a few short years he'd get his own ship. Then he'd be Captain Shepard.

 

John couldn't help smirking. When he could finally send Jane a letter telling her of his new post, she'd go spastic. Last time they seen each other, she'd boldy said she'd beat him to getting her own ship. Last he'd heard Admiral Hackett had sent her off on some sort of training mission, filling in stationed units on the latest tactics mercs and slavers were using on raids, then running them through drills. If John beat her to Captain he’d request she’d be transfer to his command as executive officer.

 

John came up next to the Turian Spectre, Nihlus if he remember right, who was over seeing if the council's investment in this project paid off. John watched Joker and Alenko as they connected the ship to the relay.

 

"The board is green, approach run has begun." Joker announced. "Hitting the relay in 3...2...1..."

 

John grunted as the ship accelerated into FTL speed. He watched Joker and Kaidan run the numbers for a moment.

 

"Give me a status report gentlemen." John ordered. Joker nodded before typing away.

 

"Thrusters...check. Navigation...check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift...just under 1500 k." Joker reported. John nodded. Everything was right down the line. In fact the drift was better than expected.

 

"1500 is good. Your captain will be pleased." Nihlus said before turning to head for the back of the ship. John glanced at him but said nothing.

 

"I hate that guy." Joker said and John smirked.

 

"Nihlus gave you a compliment...so you hate him?" Alenko queried.

 

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible. Besides Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him onboard. Call me paranoid." Joker snarked.

 

"You're paranoid." Alenko chimed in, not missing a beat. "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

 

"Yeah that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story."

 

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." John agreed.

 

"So there's more going on here than the captain's letting on." Joker said just before the comm came to life.

 

" _Joker! Status report._ " Anderson ordered.

 

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

 

" _Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime._ "

 

"Aye, aye, Captain." Joker responded, already working away at his console. "Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

 

" _He's already here, Lieutenant._ " John couldn't help but snicker at the look Alenko shot Joker. " _Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing._ " The comm line cut out.

 

"You get that Commander?" Joker asked and John sighed.

 

"He sounded angry. Something must have gone wrong with the mission." John said, turning to head for the back of the ship. Joker snarked something but John missed it as he got moving. He headed by the others, nodding to Pressley and passing by Jenkins talking to Doctor Chakwas. When he got to the comm room he was surprised to find that Captain Anderson wasn't there and Nihlus was waiting for him instead. The Turian looked around and did the Turian equivalent of a smile when John moved inside.

 

"Commander Shepard. I was hoping you'd get here first. It will give us a chance to talk." Nihlus said.

 

"What about?" John asked. He'd never interacted with a Spectre before. This would be interesting.

 

"I'm interested in this world we're going to - Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

 

"They said it's a paradise." John replied. "I've never been there but if its anything like the colony I grew up on, it might be pretty close."

 

"Yes...a paradise. Serene. Tranquil. Safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people, hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?" Nihlus wondered and John frowned.

 

"Do you know something?" John demanded.

 

"Your people are still newcomers, Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place. Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

 

"Were yours?" John snarked at the Turian as the doors to comm room opened. Nihlus's mandibles twitched before he grinned at Shepard.

 

"I think it's about time we told the commander what's really going on." Captain Anderson said as he came into the room.

 

"This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run." Nihlus began.

 

"I figured there was something you weren't telling us." John replied as turned to look at the captain.

 

"We're making a covert pick-up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational."  Anderson explained.

 

"Why not tell me about this earlier, sir?" John asked.

 

"This comes down from the top, Commander. Information is strictly on a need-to-know basis. A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean." John gave a low whistle.

 

"Prothean, I'll be damned."

 

"This is big, Shepard." Anderson said. "The last time humanity made a discovery like this it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

 

"Obviously, this goes beyond mere human interests, Commander. This discovery could affect every species in Council space." Nihlus said.

 

"It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." John agreed.

 

"The beacon's not the only reason I'm here, Shepard."

 

"Nihlus wants to see you in action, Commander. He's here to evaluate you." Anderson explained.

 

"Guess that explains why I bump into you every time I turn around." John quipped.

 

"The Alliance has been pushing for this a long time. Humanity wants a large role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

 

"You held off an enemy assault during the Blitz single-handed." Nihlus complimented. "You showed not only courage but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres." John rocked back on his heels. Being a Spectre was something he had never even considered before now. He glanced from Nihlus to Anderson.

 

"I assume this is good for the Alliance, sir?" John asked.

 

"Earth needs this, Shepard. We're counting on you."

 

"I need to see your skills for myself, Commander." Nihlus explained. "Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

 

"You'll be in charge of the ground team. Secure the beacon and get it onto the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

 

"Just give the word, Captain." Shepard replied.

 

"We should be getting close to Eden-"

 

" _Captain! We've got a problem_!"

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane looked over the movement of the 212 and nodded. Eden Prime was getting a good anti-raid ground force movement.

 

            "What do you think, Commander?" Ash asked and Jane nodded at the woman. She had found the Gunnery Chief incredibly helpful in whipping the boys into shape.

 

            "Slavers are never going to see this group coming.” she said crossing her arms under her breasts.

 

            "You would be the one to know. Your manuals are the most useful, I hear the Alliance command is going to vote on making them a mandatory training for new colonies.” Ash said and Jane smiled. The Mindoir Review was the name of her manual, John had helped to build it, but it was Jane's baby. Admiral Hackett had become her best ally after Akuze, keeping her on active rotation and not shoved off to some corner of the Alliance to be kept under psych eval. With the help of Hackett, she had even gotten the current Command of the special tactics training force. While it meant moving from colony to colony, it meant she was still top of her field on safety procedure.

 

            "This is starting to look like a slaver's nightmare.” Jane grinned. Already two of her training colonies had been tried by fire and both had one hundred percent pass rates. Not a colonist taken, not a marine downed.

 

Cool dread ran down Jane's spine as the sound of ships began to roar in the air. She looked up and saw dark hulls with shapes reminiscent of insects. Blue energy blasts hit the nearest tower.

 

            "What the hell?" Ash cried.

 

            "Incoming!" Jane roared, hitting her comm. "This is not a drill. I repeat, this is Commander Jane Shepard, this is not a drill. Eden Prime is under attack!" She heard the sound of defense towers powering up and Jane prayed her training was enough. These were not Batarians, nor any Mercs she knew of. These didn't look like any ship currently on the watch list as a raider. This wasn't a raid. If it wasn't a raid, what the hell was it? Jane dropped to the ground, Ash on her tail as they headed toward their men.

 

~*TF*~

 

"What's wrong, Joker?" Anderson demanded.

 

" _Transmission from Eden Prime, sir. You better see this_!"

 

"Bring it up on screen."

 

The camera was jerking, a feed from a helmet no doubt. Marines firing at something. Their stances ready but their faces reading shock. A blue blast illuminated the form of a woman running toward the camera. Her Phoenix armor easy to see in front of the tan and green background of Eden Prime.

 

"Get down!" she ordered, shoving the cameraman down into the ground, standing over them to fire fearlessly at her opponents. These people were being blitzed but she didn't hesitate to protect. A series of explosions rocked the camera. Blue blasts unlike the regular fair of mercs rocked the camera. Men firing filled the screen and for a moment a figure wrapped in biotic blue held up her hands, blocking fire.

 

"Retreat!" Jane Shepard ordered firing a pistol with one hand and creating a massive barrier with the other. The camera moved away from the group and a man ran into the camera's view.

 

"We are under attack! Taking heavy casualties. I repeat: heavy casualties! We can't..." he cried out as a blast hit close to him. His words were lost for a moment "...need evac! They came out of nowhere. We need-" He cried out as he was hit, dropping to the ground. Alien ships filled the sky and the sound of an unknown engine droned along with the sound of gunfire.

 

"Come on, Marine!" Jane cried, her face appearing above the camera, more likely than not grabbing the soldier under the arm to drag him or her to safety. The camera shot back up to the sky before vanishing to static.

 

" _Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing._ " Joker explained.

 

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson ordered. John watched as the image rewound and felt his heart leap into his throat as Jane's face flashed by the screen again. The image paused and showed the image of ship like nothing John had ever seen before. He stared at the screen with the others. 'What the hell was it?'

 

"Status report, Joker!" Anderson ordered.

 

" _Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area._ "

 

"Take us in, Joker. Fast and quiet." Anderson ordered. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

 

"Reverse to 23.7." John said. Anderson blinked and turned to the Commander.

 

"Did you see something, Shepard?" He asked. John nodded as the image rewound and Jane's image came up again, from when she was shielding the group from enemy fire.

 

"Someone actually. That's my sister, Jane Shepard. Last I heard from her she had been on a colony briefing tour. Eden Prime must have been her latest stop." John said, scowling.

 

"I've heard about your sister, a powerful biotic. She was the sole survivor after Thresher Maws wiped out her squad on Akuze, wasn't she?" Nihlus asked.

 

"Yes and she hasn't been able to let that go." John said, frowning at the screen.

 

"You need to focus on the mission, Commander." Anderson prodded gently.

 

"Sir, I'm focused." John said and nodded to his sister's image on the screen. "If anyone knows what is happening on Eden Prime my sister will make it her business to be that person."

 

"Then finding her and the beacon will be our top priorities." Nihlus said, leaving the room. "I for one want to find out what in the Spirit's names is going on down there."

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane held up her hand and looked at her remaining men. The anger she felt was not like Akuze. Akuze was nature, a damn nest of wild animals that had resulted in tragedy, this, this was war and her men were giving back better than she could hope. Still, the enemy’s weapons were powerful; it made her work to keep her barriers up.

 

            "Commander, what are those things?" Duncan asked and Jane looked at the man.

 

            "They are synthetics and the only synthetics I know about...are the geth.” she stated and the group got quiet.

 

            "Is that...is that even possible?" Ash whispered and Jane chuckled.

 

            "We're fighting synthetics aren't we?" she said and Ash's face hardened with a nod. "We need to keep them from the heart of the colony. The good thing is the defense towers are doing some good work and for whatever reason, they are attacking out here. I managed to get the colony ready so hopefully the civilian casualties will be limited to the support staff out here."

 

            "Commander, how long till we can expect back up?" Mancuso asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Don't think about back up, think only about destroying the enemy you see and then moving on to the next target. Those with sniper training, get to high ground. Assault teams, you need to wait till you hear the snipers give the ready signals. Remember, scatter, synthetics go by logic, do what they won't expect and they can't hit you.” Jane ordered as she saw a downed hover bike. "I'm going to hit the ridge. Duncan take that comm tower to the east. Morgan take the cliff to the west. That should give us eyes on the field. Take out the bastards that are in small groups until you hear us give eyes."

 

            "Yes, ma'am!" the reply came.

 

            Jane raced to the ridge, her shield blocking more than one pop shot from the geth before she set the bike down, there were a few downed branches and she quickly hid the bike.

 

            "Commander, I got the comm tower functioning, small range only, no deep space calls.” Duncan stated and Jane grinned. Comms were up.

 

            "Good man, give me eyes.” she ordered as she used her biotics to help her scale a tree.

 

            "They're massacring civilians.” Morgan growled.

 

            "Do not start engaging yet, I know it is hard. But if we don't prepare the others we lose everyone.” Jane ordered. Her jaw grit as she lay down on a branch and looked through the scope. The damn geth were everywhere. "I've got an eye over the port, it's a deathtrap, it is crawling with the metal bastards."

 

            "I see a clear shot to the beacon.” Morgan stated.

 

            "Only a handful on the path to the camp.” Duncan added.

 

            "Let's clean house marines, shoot those glowing bastards in the face, those look like optics, let's aim for those.” Jane ordered, taking aim on a geth racing after a woman. A small group was moving for one of the storage containers. The head of the geth jerked as Jane's shot went through it. The unit staggered, whipping its head back and forth in confusion, the next shot blasted through its chest, dropping it.

 

~*TF*~

 

"I don't like this." Shepard said. His eyes were focusing on the small path on the side of the hill. Ever since Jenkins had been gunned down by those drones, he'd been feeling on edge.

 

"How so, sir?" Alenko asked.

 

"That appears to be the dig site just down that hill so where-?" John was cut off as someone came barrelling towards them. She was wearing a ridiculously colored armor set in white and pink. She was being pursued by a set of drones. She dove down and went skidding, opening fire at them with her pistol. The drone went down.

 

“Someone like that is just asking to be shot at or she’s so good that she doesn’t care about blending in.” John muttered, unstrapping his own rifle.

 

“Commander look!” Kaidan exclaimed. They turned, seeing two synthetics forcing a man to lay on his back on a small platform. As he did a spike shot up, impaling the man and lifting him several feet into the air.

 

"Open fire!" John shouted as the woman scrambled behind some rocks for cover. As Kaidan began to shoot from the distance John charged.

 

During N-school it became widely known that Jane Shepard was one of the best shots ever. When you put a sniper rifle in her hands, she could make it work wonders. To this day she was the only one to ricochet a round and hit two targets with that one bullet. Her brother John, while not as good a shot as her, was damn fine in his own right.

 

John Shepard was brawler.

 

John charged the synthetics, his shields crackling around him stormed down at them. He switch his assault rifle for his shotgun and slammed shoulder first into one. As it went skidding, he turned and blasted the second in its head. The machine went down in a burst of white fluid and sparks. As the other struggled to pull itself up from where it had landed, John blasted it in the back. It went down again and stayed down this time.

 

As he glanced around to check for more enemies, and findings none, he turned back to see Alenko approaching the woman. John went over as well. He needed to know what was going on around here...

 

~*TF*~

           

            John glanced around at the ruins and open courtyard. This certainly looked old enough, they had to be getting close.

 

            "How much farther Williams?" He asked.

 

            "Sir, this is the dig site." Ashley said in frustration. "The beacon was right here. It must have been moved."

 

            "By who?" Kaidan mused. "Our side? Or the geth?"

 

            "Hard to say." Williams responded. "Maybe we'll know more after we check out the research camp."

 

            "You think anyone got out of here alive?" John asked.

 

            "If they were lucky and the Commander was watching. She'd have done everything she could to get them to safety. That woman has more drive than anyone I've ever met." Williams mused and John couldn't help but smile. That sure sounded like Jane. "There's a camp just on top of this ridge. Up the ramps. Maybe they're hiding there."

 

            "Move out. Let's check out this camp." John ordered. They quickly moved up the hill in standard three man squad formation. Then John's comm system chirped as some patched in.

 

            _"Change of plans, Shepard. There's a small spaceport up ahead. I want to check it out. I'll wait for you there."_ Nihlus informed them.

 

            "Copy that, Nihlus. We'll meet you there after we check out a research camp just above the dig site. Also, the beacon has been moved. Haven't found out if it was by the geth or local Alliance personnel yet." John said.

 

            _"I'll keep an eye out for it. Nihlus out."_ Nihlus said and the comm snapped off.

 

            As they came up the hill John felt his heart beat spike as he saw more people onto of those spikes.

 

            "Looks like they hit the camp hard." Williams muttered.

 

            "It's a good place for an ambush, keep your guard up." Kaidan advised her. John was looking around as Kaidan spoke and jerked when he saw one of the spikes retract, lowering the victim. Then the person began to get up.

 

            "Oh, God. They're still alive!" Kaidan exclaimed. John frowned at that. Yes they were moving but something about them was...off.

 

            "What did the geth do to them?" Williams said, horrified. John pulled out his rifle but didn't take aim yet.

 

            "Sir, please stay where you are. We'll get you medical attention but please remain still." John ordered as even more spikes began to lower. The man moaned and began to move towards them. His skin was black, like polished armor. His veins were glowing blue as were his eyes. He moved towards them rapidly, arms stretched out at them.

 

            "Sir, remain where you are or we will open fire!" John tried again but raised his rifle, the others on his squad also arming themselves. John sighed in relief when the man did stop moving not far from them. Then, just as John began to lower his gone the man seemed to shimmy and then gave off a burst of energy. John blinked in shock as his shields shimmered into view just before dropping.

 

            "Open fire!" John ordered. He quickly dropped the one who had brought down their shields as the Kaidan and Williams quickly dealt with the other two.

 

            "Why would the geth turn these people into those husk things, Commander?" Kaidan said, breathing hard.

 

            "I have no idea, LT." John said. "But I'm going to stop them from doing it to anyone else on Eden Prime."

 

            John jerked his head when he heard a gunshot go off in the distance.

 

            "Move it people! Double time it!"

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane gripped the tree, aiming at geth. She had heard her men cry out and ordered them to medigel and play dead. It was too much, the synthetics were too good, it was going to get them killed. This part of the colony was ruined and the smells were like those in Meer except there was a distinct lack of burning flesh. This wasn't a raid, they didn't want survivors, this was a massacre and no witnesses were desired. Jane had watched what happened to the civilians taken alive. Impaled and left for dead, except, they weren't dying, they were being mechanized.

 

            Duncan and Morgan had both had to retreat, she had ordered comm silence when everything had gone FUBAR. She had seen Ash's hideous Phoenix armor retreating to the training grounds. This was a kind of hell and she was furious, she wanted a piece of whoever did this to Eden Prime. The branch below her was marked, a slice for each geth she took down, but there were so damn many and they just kept coming, but many were drawn to her kill zone, investigating the downed units no doubt, but she made sure to graze them as they fell, twisting them so the bodies didn't have a pattern as they fell, no triangulation for the machines...she hoped.

 

            A flash of red and black glided across the field heading to the port. Jane quickly focused on the red and black object. It had been quiet but the geth were moving back and forth, searching. She blinked in surprise, that was no geth, it was a Turian. She had had little involvement with them, they didn't care for biotics and Jane kept away from where she wasn't wanted. The fringe dictated he was a male, was he a merc stupid enough to be working with the geth? He was moving cautiously. No. He was not here with the geth. The white markings on his dark skin stood out, he was a warrior. Something moved on the port and she focused, a second Turian. This one in darker armor, no colony marking and...cybernetic implants. This was a Turian who had been through hell. She watched.

 

            The red and black armored one moved forward, inching toward the other. He lowered his weapon. The two knew each other, the red and black one was shocked to see the second. His mouth moved and Jane mentally swore. Damn Turian lips were practically impossible to read. He was shocked though, the body language spoke of confusion while the other Turian's body spoke of confidence. They knew each other, she zoomed in as far as she could, watching the red and black lower his weapon. Trust, this one trusted the other. The second placed a hand on the others shoulder, a friendly gesture, Turians weren't for a lot of touching. They were well acquainted if a hand on the shoulder was a greeting. The second moved behind the first and the red and black was talking. They stood back to back for a moment, the red and black looking shocked but somewhat relaxed, he trusted the other one. Jane wanted to shout out a warning as the second turian pulled his pistol casually and aimed it at the red and black's head. Smooth, calm, deliberate. Jane watched blue blood fly and the red and black drop. Her finger was on the trigger ready to fire, but then she watched in shock as geth began to approach the betraying Turian.

 

            Jane shook with rage as she looked at the Turian, he was clearly ordering the geth. Turians were the major supporters of no AI, viciously monitoring other races for the slightest toeing of the AI line, this Turian was a betrayer and he had brought the geth here. Jane focused on his face, cybernetics marred his form but Jane would remember him and she would be more than happy to put a bullet through his head, but surrounded by geth, she wasn't going to get a clean shot. They headed to the tram and Jane knew she needed to get down.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was moving around the port, looking for a way to get down there, that Turian was up to something and she didn't want to let him get too far ahead. Geth were crawling over the port and a few bodies were slowly turning into those husk things. She would never make it to the port and she swore.

 

            "Damn it.” she hissed, there was the sound of chatter and she quickly looked to the hill, three forms appeared, one wearing a familiar Phoenix armor and the gate of the middle was unmistaken. The geth on the port released the husks and Jane watched as they advanced. The three were firing quickly but they were overheating their weapons. Jane smirked as she aimed. Two geth were approaching fast and the trio on the hill were busy with the husks. Four shots and the two geth were down.

 

            "Nice save, baby sister.” John called and Jane jumped from the cliff above them, rolling to her feet and smirking at him.

 

            "Only by fourteen minutes.” she reminded him. "When did you get here?"

 

            "We’ve been on the ground for about thirty minutes. We saw the emergency transmission on the way here for a pick up.” he said and Jane nodded."This is my LT, Kaidan Alenko. Alenko, this is my younger sister, Commander Jane Shepard." 

 

            "I wish it were under better conditions, LT. So, you were coming for the beacon.” she said. Alenko nodded.

 

            "Commander, you're alright!" Ash blurted out and Jane smiled at her.

 

            "You did good, Gunnery Chief. We need to get moving.” Jane said before moving toward the camper. "There are civilians in there."

 

            "Everybody stay calm out there. We're coming out. We're not armed.” a voice called as Jane approached.

 

            "Is it safe? Are they gone?" the woman Jane saved asked and she smiled.

 

            "You're okay now. Nobody's going to hurt you.” Jane said.

 

            "Those things were crawling all around the shed. They would have found us for sure. We owe you our lives.” the man leading the group said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know, I helped you get to safety to begin with.” she said, patting her rifle and the woman's eyes widened.

 

            "I-I still can't believe it. When we saw that ship I thought it was all over!" the woman said and Jane nodded she knew that feeling all too well herself.

 

            "It showed up right before the attack. Knew it was trouble the second I saw it. So we made a break for the sheds.” the man said.

 

            "You covered them.” John said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Get the civilians safe before confronting the enemy.” she stated.

 

            "Tell me everything you remember about the attack.” John said.

 

            "The three of us were working the crops when that ship showed up. We just saw it and ran. I don't know what happened to the rest of the crew.” the man confessed.

 

            "They were by the garage. Over near the spaceport. Right where that ship came down. No way they survived.” the other man said.

 

            "You don't know that! We survived. If they made it to the garage, they could've had a fighting chance!" the woman cried. John shot Jane a look, she looked away. She had seen too many bodies to hope for that.

 

            "What else can you tell me about the ship you saw?" John asked. Jane kept quiet, she and Ash had seen it in action, John, he was a newcomer and he needed to collect data, he would ask them later.

 

            "I was too busy running to get a clear look at it. I think it landed over near the spaceport.” the first man said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

            "Tell them about the noise, Cole. That awful noise.” the woman cried and Jane nodded. That noise had been awful, like a synthetic war cry.

 

            "It was emitting some kind of signal as it descended. Sounded like the shriek of the damned. Only it was coming from inside your own head.” Cole said and Jane caught Ash nodding in agreement.

 

            "It was probably trying to block communications.” John said.

 

            "Whatever it was, felt like it was tearing right through my skull. Almost made it impossible to think.” Cole said. Jane thought about it, she had drowned out the sound with the adrenaline rush of combat, it had faded in her head making the whole thing a nightmare.

 

            "We have to go.” John said about to turn when the other man spoke.

 

            "Hey, Cole. We're just a bunch of farmers. These guys are soldiers. Maybe we should give them the stuff.” he said and Jane gritted her teeth. They were hording supplies?

 

            "Geez, Blake. You gotta learn when to shut up!" Cole snapped.

 

            "You have something to tell me, Cole?" John asked and Jane kept her body still, best to let John do his thing as rescue party leader.

 

            "Some guys at the spaceport were running a small smuggling ring. Nothing major. In exchange for a cut of the profits, we let them store packages in our sheds.” Cole said and Jane shook her head. Sometimes colonists were so shortsighted; hopefully it wasn't anything that would have saved any of the lives, just something useful.

 

            "You're breaking the law, Cole.” John stated and Cole had the decency to look unsettled.

 

            "We're not hurting anybody! Hell, most of the time, I don't even know what's in the packages. I just thought there might be something we could use. I found a pistol. Figured it would come in handy if those things came back. But you'll probably get more use out of it than we will.” he rambled and Jane felt better knowing that Cole was probably thinking about the lives that could have been saved if capable soldiers had had the equipment in his shed as he handed the pistol over.

 

            "We're risking our lives to save this colony. You sure there's nothing else in here that could help us out?" John asked and Jane fought the urge to smirk. John's charm, who could resist...besides his twin.

 

            "Yeah, there's one more thing. I was going to sell it after this was over. But you probably deserve it more than I do.” Cole sighed handing over a satchel.

 

            "Who's your contact at the spaceport, Cole? What's his name?" Ash demanded and John looked at Jane, there was a clear look to reign in her subordinate.

 

            "He's not a bad guy. I don't want to get him in trouble. Besides, I'm not a snitch!" Cole quickly covered, they were going to lose him if Ash was too aggressive. Jane held out her hand to Ash and gave her a look. Ash wasn't happy, but Jane knew how to play John's game.

 

            "He might have something to do with this whole attack, Cole. We need his name. It's important.” Jane said, giving Cole an honest look. He met her eyes and then looked down.

 

            "Yeah, okay. You're right. His name's Powell. Works the docks at the spaceport. If he's still alive.” Cole sighed and Jane nodded.

 

            "We have to go.” John said and they moved out.

 

            "Jane, have you seen a Turian Spectre running around?" John asked once they were out of earshot of the farmers.

 

            "Huh, he was a Spectre..." Jane said, holding her hand out. "You need to hear my report, John." He looked at her. "I was covering the port, you can see my work around here. It was a lull in geth activity. I saw a Turian in red and black armor approaching."

 

            "That's Nihlus.” John said.

 

            "He reached the spaceport, John, but someone was waiting for him. There was a second Turian, I didn't see him sneak onto the port platform. He was good. Nihlus trusted him, seemed surprised to see him. They greeted each other in a friendly manner, then when Nihlus' back was turned the second Turian shot him in the back of the head. Your Spectre friend never saw it coming.” Jane said and John stared at her.

 

            "Could you hear them?" he asked and Jane shook her head. "Take me to him." They quickly reached Nihlus' body.

 

            "That's Nihlus.” Kaidan afirmed and Jane nodded.

 

            "Damned traitor didn't even flinch, it was an execution, he didn't want anyone who could identify him to left alive. He took a train to the next platform.” Jane sighed and there was movement, all four lifted their weapons.

 

            "Something's moving! Over behind those crates!" Ash cried and a man popped out.

 

            "Wait! Don't-don't shoot! I'm one of you! I'm human.” he cried, holding up his hands.

 

            "Sneaking up on us like that nearly got you killed!" Jane chided, shaking her head at him.

 

            "I...I'm sorry. I was hiding. From those creatures.” the man said. "My name's Powell. I saw what happened to that turian. The other one shot him." Jane gave a look to John and he nodded.

 

            "I need to know how Nihlus died.” John said. Jane hoped Powell had been close enough to hear something useful.

 

            "The other one got here first. He was waiting when your friend showed up. He called him Saren. I think they knew each other.” Powell said. Saren, Jane's eyes narrowed, she had a name to the face and he was a dead Turian. "Your friend seemed to relax. He let his guard down...and Saren killed him. Shot him right in the back. I'm just lucky he didn't see me behind the crates."

 

            "Where'd Saren go after he killed Nihlus?" John asked.

 

            "He jumped on the cargo train and headed over to the other platform. Probably going after the beacon.” Powell said. "I knew that beacon was trouble. Everything's gone to hell since we found it. First that damn mother ship showed up. Then the attack. They killed everyone. Everyone! If I hadn't been behind the crates I'd be dead, too." Jane recognized Powell's posture, he was about to lose it.

 

            "How come you're the only one who survived? Why didn't anyone else try to hide behind the crates?" John asked, suspicious.

 

            "They never had a chance. I...I was already behind the crates when the attack started.” Powell hissed and Jane could hear the guilt in his voice.

 

            "Wait a minute. You were hiding behind the crates before the attack?" Kaidan asked.

 

            "I...sometimes I need a nap to get through my shift. I sneak off behind the crates to grab forty winks where the supervisor can't find me.” Cole confessed.

 

            "You survived because you're lazy?" Ash hissed.

 

            "Stand down, Gunnery Chief.” Jane stated and Ash gave her a look.

 

            "If you hadn't snuck off for that nap you'd probably be dead just like all the others.” John said and Jane nodded as she looked at Powell.

 

            "Yeah. Yeah, I guess. I don't really want to think about it.” Cole said.

 

            "You're Cole's contact here on the docks. For the smuggling ring.” Jane pointed out and Powell looked nervous.

 

            "What? No! I mean...what does it matter now? So I'm a smuggler? Who cares?" he cried, moving into defensive behavior. "My supervisor's dead. The entire crew's dead. It doesn't matter now, does it?"

 

            "Anything hidden nearby that we could use against the geth?" John asked casually. 

 

            "A shipment of grenades came through last week. Nobody notices if a few small pieces go missing from the military orders.” Powell stated and Jane reached out, stopping Ash as she moved forward threateningly.

 

            "You greedy son of a bitch! We're out here trying to protect your sorry ass and all you can think about is how you can rip us off?!" Ash snapped.

 

            "I never thought you'd actually need those grenades! Who'd want to attack Eden Prime? We're just a bunch of farmers! How was I supposed to know?" Powell cried holding up his hands.

 

            "Just give me the grenades.” John sighed and Jane gave Ash a look. Ash was furious and Jane could relate, who would be alive if there had been a few more grenades?

 

            "They're yours. Take them. My smuggling days are over. I swear.” Powell stated, handing over the grenades. 

 

            "We need to find that beacon before it's too late.” John said.

 

            "Take the cargo train. That's where the other turian went.” Powell said. "I...I can't stay here. I need to get away from all this."

                       

~*TF*~

 

            As the train stopped Jane quickly saw geth units. She pulled up a barrier.

 

            "Get to the bombs!" she hissed as she took cover on the train and began sniping the easiest targets. She took three of the geth out quickly while the others ran for cover.

 

            "First one done.” John said before running for cover. He looked at Jane. "Just like advance training."

 

            "Except for the live ammo and synthetic opponents. Go!" she cried as she quickly took down another geth.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Kaidan, you have the most experience with tech, disarm them!" John ordered. Kiadan rushed for the first bomb as the geth began to swarm them. John snarled and jammed the barrel of his shotgun in a geth's face. He pulled the trigger and the geth's head exploded. As the geth fell toward him, John grabbed the body. With a grunt he shoved it off. It was heavier than he expected it to be. He quickly dispatched another two that were just a few feet away.

 

            "Ash, suppressing fire on the walkways!" Jane snapped. Williams opened fire, forcing the geth to take cover.

 

            "Got it Commander!" Kaidan said. "It was data linked to the others so they all ran on the same timer. I know where the other bombs are!"

 

            "Outstanding, Alenko." John said. "You lead the way. Stay behind me. "Williams, cover Alenko at all times while we clear out the way." John said, turning to his baby sister. "Jane, charge and barge."

 

            "Oh fuck, I hate it when you do this." Jane said, but she was smiling. John smiled at her and cracked his neck. He primed a couple of grenades his left hand.

 

            "I'm dropping them on the left." John informed her as they stormed up the ramp. The walkways were open but the geth were swiftly moving down them to get to the Alliance team.

 

            "Ready?" John asked and Jane took a deep breath.

 

            "Go!" She shouted and John bolted down the left walkway. The geth seemed to pause as a Alliance soldier came charging at them. John skirted past them, dropping grenades on the left side as he shot any geth in his path with the shotgun in his right hand. He reached the end of the walkway, diving behind a crate just as the grenades went off.

 

            Then Jane opened fire from her end, having covered her brother till he was safe. John switched out for his rifle and opened fire from his end. Suddenly caught between two ends of gun fire, the geth were swiftly put down as Kaidan defused the bombs with Williams covering him.

 

            Though Williams did give a low whistle as the two siblings stood, grinning at each other.

 

            "We still got it." Jane said, gleefully.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane looked at the downed geth and husks. How many of the people she had gotten to know had died here.

 

            "He intended to decimate the colony.” Jane stated to John and he nodded.

 

            "We stopped him.” John said giving Jane a smile.

 

            "Not fast enough.” she sighed as they approached the beacon. It was glowing with activity, it hadn't been doing that before.

 

            "Normandy, the beacon is secure. Request immediate evac.” John called into his comm. Jane stared at the beacon.

 

            "This is amazing. Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!" Kaidan stated as the three moved away from John relaying the status of the mission.

 

            "It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up.” Ash stated before turning to Jane. "Commander. We didn't get a chance to talk when we rendezvoused. The rest of the team…" Ash began as John approached.

 

            "It happens, Williams. Sadly, I know how it goes more than most.” Jane said before movement caught the corner of her eye. Kaidan was being pulled toward the beacon, some force was dragging him toward it. Jane reacted, she ran at him as he was being pulled and wrapped around him from behind, pulling his feet back to the ground. The force was lifting him up and she ripped him around, throwing him away from the beacon and putting herself right in its grip.

 

            "Shepard!" Kaidan cried.

 

            Jane tried to pull back but the force lifted her up into the air, pulling her arms to her sides. Light flashed in her brain, it was like a biotic migraine being drilled into her brain.

 

            "No! Don't touch her! It's too dangerous!" Ash cried.

 

            "Jane!" John cried. Her body flinched as the pictures formed in her brain. Circuitry. Death. The pleading of alien life forms. She grimaced as her eyes opened but she saw nothing but was being forced into her brain. Tissue being mechanized, organic to synthetic. Her body convulsed but was trapped in the beacon's hold. Organic life begging as synthetics wreaked havoc. Jane's last thought was the realization that she was falling before she was unconscious.   

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Jane! JANE! WAKE UP GOD DAMN IT!" John screamed, trying to get Jane on her feet. He'd already tried smelling salts but she wouldn't move.

 

            "Sir, she needs medical attention." Kaidan tried. John nodded, picking up his sister in his arms, cradling her to his chest.

 

            "Get the Normandy to the port, now! And tell Dr. Chakwas we have wounded incoming!" John ordered, storming for the port. Williams let out a deep breath as the Commander stormed away with his sister. When Alenko finished contacting the Normandy, he broke into a trot to follow, Williams moving along with him.

 

            "Is the Commander always like that?" she asked.

 

            "Not really." Alenko said. "From what I've heard, the sister is all the Commander has left of his family. I know how I'd feel if some alien device mind melded with my last living relative and knocked her down."

 

            Williams nodded. She'd be going sparse too if that was one of her sisters.

 

            "Come on, let's catch up to the Commander. I still have to get Jenkins..."

 

~*TF*~

 

            On the alien mother ship as it moved through space. Benezia approached Saren, the turian was not pleased.

 

            "We identified the ship that touched down on Eden Prime. The Normandy. A human Alliance vessel.” she stated. "It was under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed to save the colony."

 

            "And the beacon?" Saren asked.

 

            "One of the humans may have used it.” she reported aware that this would not please him. Her prediction was correct as he began to growl; his head whipping back and forth before he began to throw things around the room. She gracefully dodged a few thrown items. He caught her face and she looked deep into his raging eyes.

 

            "This human must be eliminated.” he whispered. 

 

~*TF*~

 

            When the ship's lights had dimmed for night watch, Dr. Chakwas had finally thrown him out. John had finally made it to the armory, and was in the middle of stripping his armor off when Captain Anderson showed up.

 

            "Sir." John said snapping off a salute that was quickly returned. "I'm sorry I didn't report for debriefing right away."

 

            "I understand Shepard, sometimes family problems take priority. How is she doing?" Anderson asked, not unkindly. John sighed and relaxed, rubbing at his face with his hand.

 

            "Dr. Chakwas assures me she'll be fine. No brain damage. It was most likely the beacon exploding and the throwing her away that knocked her out. She hit the ground pretty hard." John said and Anderson sighed.

 

            "And we still have no idea why the beacon acted this way?"

 

            "No sir. According to Williams, it initially reacted to Lieutenant Alenko while I was radioing in. When Jane saw what was happening she pulled him away but got caught in the beacon's hold." John explained.

 

            Anderson grunted and was silent for a moment.

 

            "I've spoken with Alliance Command. As of 1800 hours today, Williams and your sister will be under my command as part of the Normandy's crew. Admiral Hackett even contacted me personally to inquire about her health. Apparently, a large number of her missions over the past few months have been assigned by him personally."

 

            "Huh imagine that." John grunted. Anderson reached out and patted John on the shoulder.

 

            "Get yourself cleaned up and get some rack time in a sleeper pod, Shepard. That's an order. We'll be at the Citadel tomorrow morning. You'll need yourself rested for when we have to deal with the politicians."

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 1st, 2183 CE, 0632 hours

Location: SSV Normandy, Approaching the Citadel

 

            "Doctor, Doctor Chakwas? I think she's waking up.” a voice said as Jane slowly felt herself returning to consciousness. She sat up, the distant pulse of a mass effect core told her she was on a ship.

 

            "You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?" a woman in a science uniform asked and Jane looked at her before turning to see John and Kaidan. She was in a medical bay, a new one from the look of it.

 

            "This is our chief medical officer, Dr. Chakwas.” John said.

 

            "Minor throbbing. Nothing serious. How long was I out?" Jane asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

 

            "About fifteen hours. Something happened down there with the beacon, I think.” Chakwas said.

 

            "It's my fault. I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way.” Kaidan stated and Jane shook her head. She had acted on her protective instincts and saved a man.

 

            "You had no way to know what would happen.” Jane said before looking at the doctor.

 

            "Actually, we don't even know if that's what set it off. Unfortunately, we'll never get the chance to find out.” Dr. Chakwas said.

 

            "The beacon exploded. Apparently, your head won and a system overloaded. The blast knocked you cold. We brought you back to the ship.” John said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "So it never occurred to you that there were perfectly suitable hospitals back on the colony?” she asked.

 

            "It was better for you to come to the ship. We have the best medical equipment available.” Dr. Chakwas stated and Jane began to respect the woman. The doctor knew her abilities and probably saved Jane some brain damage. "Physically, you're fine. But I detected some unusual brain activity, abnormal beta waves."

 

            "So does that mean she has brain damage?" John teased.

 

            "Still smarter than you.” Jane shot back out of habit, a smile finding its way onto her lips.

 

"No damage. I noticed an increase in your rapid eye movement, signs typically associated with intense dreaming.” Dr. Chakwas said and Jane looked down, remembering the flashes she had seen in her head. They didn't make sense.

 

            "I saw...I'm not sure what I saw. Death. Destruction. Nothing's really clear.” she said.

 

            "Hmmm. I better add this to my report. It may...Oh Captain Anderson.” Chakwas said as the door to the medical bay opened. Jane moved to her feet as Kaidan and John got into the attention stance.

 

            "How's our XO's esteemed sister holding up, Doctor?" Anderson asked and Jane looked at the man. She had met him before at John's last promotion, he had apparently helped to rescue them from Midoir, but Jane had been under sedation at that time. Apparently John kept in touch with the man since.

 

            "All the readings look normal. I'd say the Commander's going to be fine.” Chakwas said.

 

            "Glad to hear it. Shepard, Shepard, I need to speak with the both of you...in private.” Anderson said and Jane raised an eyebrow.

 

            "Aye, aye, Captain, I'll be in the mess if you need me.” Kaidan stated, saluting before he left followed by the doctor.                        

 

            "Sounds like that beacon hit you pretty hard, Commander. You sure you're okay?" Anderson asked, looking Jane over.

 

            "I don't like soldiers dying under my command.” Jane stated and John's hand landed on her shoulder.

 

            "It wasn't your fault, Jane.” he said.

 

            "You did a good job, Shepard.” Anderson added.

 

            "What happened to Gunnery Chief Williams?" Jane asked and John smiled.

 

            "We've acquired her. She proved to be a useful asset, so we're adding her to the Normandy's crew. Admiral Hackett contacted me when I reported we’d taken you aboard for medical treatment. You’re with us till your next assignment since Eden Prime was your last scheduled deployment on the safety tour.” he said and Jane smiled.

 

            "Good for Ash.” she said. "You said you needed to speak to the both of us, Captain?"

 

            "I won't lie to you both. Things look bad. Nihlus is dead. The beacon was destroyed and geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

 

            "I didn't do anything wrong, Captain. Hopefully, the Council can see that.” John said.

 

            "I should have taken the shot, I could have killed Saren, I had him scoped but...he knew Nihlus.” Jane sighed, fisting her hands.

 

            "You couldn't have known about the mission and I will stand behind both of you and your reports. You're a pair of damned heroes in my books. That's not why I'm here. It's Saren.” Anderson said. "Saren's a Spectre, one of the best. A living legend. But if he's working with the geth, it means he's gone rogue. A rogue Spectre's trouble. Saren's dangerous. And he hates humans."

 

            "I saw him giving them orders with my own two eyes.” Jane said and Anderson nodded.

 

            "He didn't come to Eden Prime because he hates humans.” John added.

 

            "You're right. Saren has allied himself with the geth. I don't know how. I don't know why. But it had something to do with that beacon.” Anderson said before looking at Jane. "You were there just before the beacon self-destructed. Did you see anything? Any clue that might tell us what Saren was after?" Jane leaned back against the medical table and looked down. Troubled by what she was about to say.

 

            "Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision.” she confessed.

 

            "A vision?" John asked, concerned.

 

            "A vision of what?" Anderson asked and Jane blushed as she told the unbelievable truth.

 

            "I saw synthetics. Geth, maybe. Slaughtering people. Butchering them.” Jane said, shrugging.

 

            "We need to report this to the Council, Shepard.” Anderson said and Jane looked up at him.

 

            "What are we going to tell them? I had a bad dream?" she asked and John looked at her with concern.

 

            "We don't know what information was stored in that beacon. Lost Prothean technology? Blueprints for some ancient weapon of mass destruction? Whatever it was, Saren took it.” Anderson said and Jane clenched her fist. She wanted to take Saren down for Eden Prime, but to talk about a vision, the Council would laugh the markings right off their own faces. "But I know Saren. I know his reputation, his politics. He believes humans are a blight on the galaxy. This attack was an act of war!" Jane looked up at that. "He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy!" Jane clenched her fists. She knew the Council was going to laugh, but she at least had to let them know the truth.

 

            "I'll find some way to take him down.” John said and Jane looked at him.

 

            "You're not doing it alone. I won't hesitate the next time I see his cowardly face.” she said.

 

            "It's not that easy. He's a Spectre. He can go anywhere, do almost anything. That's why we need the Council on our side.” Anderson said and the twins looked at each other.

 

            "We prove Saren's gone rogue and the Council will revoke his Spectre status.” John said.

 

            "Then we let him get right in our kill zone.” Jane added.

 

            "I'll contact the ambassador and see if he can get us an audience with the Council. He'll want to see us as soon as we reach the Citadel.” Anderson said. "We should be getting close. Head up to the bridge and tell Joker to bring us in to dock." With that Anderson walked out of the room. Jane closed her eyes as John gave her a hug.

 

            "Next time you get your brains fried by a piece of 50,000 year old technology, I'm leaving you there.” he said, ruffling her hair and she gave him a look.

 

            "No you won't.” she said. "What kind of a name is Joker?"

 

            "I actually don't know the story behind that. I only just met the crew a little over a month ago. Captain Anderson hand picked most of us." John said as they exited the medical bay. Jane smiled as she saw Ash by the mess hall tables.

 

            "Commander, how are you doing?" she asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "I've been better, but my brain is intact, so I'm not going to complain. You might want to come up to the bridge, we're going to be pulling into the Citadel and I don't know about you, but I've never been there before.” Jane said before turning around and nearly running into Kaidan.

 

            "I'm glad you're okay, Commander. The Commander, your brother, could use some good news after what happened to Jenkins.” Kaidan said and Jane looked down.

 

            "So I wasn't the only one who lost men.” she sighed and looked at John as he gave her a look. What did he think just because she was talking to a man she was preparing to mount him? "It is always a hard day when men are lost. Your barriers are pretty good."

 

            "Thanks, you were pretty impressive with your biotics too.” Kaidan said and Jane smiled.

 

            "Well, I want a good view pulling into the Citadel, this is my first visit." she said as she headed toward her brother. "Say anything and I'll punch you in the testicles."

 

            "I didn't say a thing.” John stated holding his hands up.

 

            "You were thinking something inappropriate. Really, John, I just met the man.” Jane huffed as she caught up with Ash.

 

            “By the way, I have your gear stored in a locker downstairs.” John said and Jane smiled.

 

            “Did you get my duffle too?” she asked and John ruffled her hair again.

 

            “Of course I did.”

 

            “Thanks John.” Jane said as they passed the Destiny Ascension and Ash began to go exclaim over the ship’s size.

 

The view as they were pulling into the Citadel was amazing, Jane was glad she came up to see it from here. 

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 1st, 2183 CE, 0900 hours

Location: Office of Earth Ambassador

 

            "This is an outrage! The Council would step in if the geth attacked a turian colony!" Udina snarled and Jane was not impressed with the little man barking at the Council. This was going to make her 'vision' so much easier for them to dismiss.

 

            "The turians don't found colonies on the boarders of the Terminus Systems, Ambassador.” Councilor Valern stated.

 

            "Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse.” Councilor Tevos added.

 

            "What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre. I demand action!" Udina cried and Jane gave John a look. He stood at attention but rolled his eyes.

 

            "You don't get to make demands of the Council, Ambassador.” Councilor Sparatus snapped.

 

            "Citadel Security is investigating your charges against Saren. We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the hearing. Not before.” Councilor Tevos said and the holograms phased out. Udina looked pissed and Jane felt a migraine about to happen. Maybe she could fling the man off the balcony and claim random biotic flare up.

 

            "Captain Anderson, I see you brought half your crew with you.” Udina sneered. Even better, the ambassador didn't care for the Captain.

 

            "Just the ground team from Eden Prime. In case you had any questions.” Anderson said, a far better diplomat than Udina.

 

            "I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate?" Udina stated in a clipped tone.

 

            "They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience.” Anderson stated.

 

            "They were not happy about it. Saren's their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason.” Udina said.

 

            "Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped. The Council has to listen to us!" John stated.

 

            "Settle down, Commander. You've already done more than enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres." Udina sneered and Jane gave John a glare from the corner of her eye. Spectre? When the hell was he going to tell her about that? "The mission on Eden Prime was a chance to prove you could get the job done. Instead, Nihlus ended up dead and the beacon was destroyed!"

 

            "That was my fault, not John's.” Jane stated. "There are two Commander Shepards but only one of us was being looked at as a Spectre. I caused the beacon's destruction, not John."

 

            "Then we better hope the C-Sec investigation turns up evidence to support our accusations. Otherwise the Council might use this as an excuse to keep John Shepard out of the Spectres.” Udina stated and Jane wondered how far she could throw the bastard. "Come with me, Captain. I want to go over a few things before the hearing. Shepards, you and the others can meet us at the Citadel Tower. Top level. I'll make sure you have clearance to get in." As the Captain and the Ambassador walked out and the doors closed Ash turned around.

 

            "And that's why I hate politicians.” she hissed and Jane nodded.

 

            "I keep wondering how far I could throw him.” Jane stated.

 

            "Further than I can.” John chuckled.

 

            "That's the benefit of biotics.” she replied before punching him hard in the kidney and he dropped to his knee.

 

            "What was that for?" he hissed.

 

            "A Spectre, John? When the hell were you going to tell me that I mess up your chances to be a Spectre?" Jane snapped and he looked up at her.

 

            "I found out right before we got your distress call.” John snapped back and Jane sighed as she helped him up.

 

            "Oh, God...just great…we have to bring Saren down now.” Jane sighed. "I have to make up for doing this to you."

 

            "You didn't do this...Saren did.” John said.

 

            "Let's go see the human loving Council...I can't wait to tell them I had a bad dream.” Jane groaned.

 

            "Vision, it's not a dream, baby sister.” John chuckled.

 

            "By fourteen minutes.” Jane muttered.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Saren's hiding something! Give me more time. Stall them.” The C-Sec officer cried in the pavilion as they exited the elevator.

 

            "That doesn't sound good.” Jane muttered.

 

            "He has to be the lead investigator.” Kaidan added.

 

            "Stall the Council? Don't be ridiculous! Your investigation is over, Garrus.” the other turian stated and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Great, more bad news.” Ash huffed as Garrus looked over at them. He nodded at both Shepards.

 

            "Commander Shepard and Commander Shepard? Garrus Vakarian. I was the officer in charge of the C-Sec investigation into Saren.” Garrus introduced himself.

 

            "Sounds like you really want to bring him down.” Jane said and Garrus crossed his arms across his chest.

 

            "I don't trust him. Something about him rubs me the wrong way.” Garrus stated. "But he's a Spectre; everything he touches is classified. I can't find any hard evidence."

 

            "I think the Council's ready for us, Commanders.” Kaidan said and Jane sighed as they began to move around Garrus.

 

            "Thank you for trying, Officer Vakarian, we appreciate the attempt.” she said and he nodded at her. They moved quickly across the massive garden before they saw Anderson.

 

            "The hearing's already started. Come on.” he said and they quickly followed him up the steps to the tiny podium in the center. The three Councilors stood across from them, clearly not in the mood to listen and a gigantic hologram of Saren looked down on them all. Jane's eyes narrowed on him, he looked more disturbing that big.

 

            "The geth attack is a matter of some concern. But there is nothing to indicate Saren was involved in any way.” Councilor Tevos said.

 

            "The investigation by Citadel Security turned up no evidence to support your charge of treason.” Councilor Sparatus snapped and Jane wondered if the turians would ever get over the First Contact War.

 

            "Two eyewitnesses saw him kill Nihlus in cold blood!" Udina snarled and Jane looked at the Councilor in the eyes. What term would he use to insult her as a witness?

 

            "We've read the Eden Prime reports, Ambassador. The testimony of one traumatized dockworker and a soldier of questionable stability who suffered the effects of a Prothean beacon are hardly compelling proof." Councilor Valern stated and Jane kept her cool. It was like Prothean beacons were like alcohol, too much of their effects and you weren't a reliable witness. Jane's eyes flickered up at the Saren hologram, was it her or was he staring at her.

 

            "I resent these accusations. Nihlus was a fellow Spectre. And a friend.” Saren stated with a tone that made Jane bite her tongue and remember the way he pulled his pistol and shot Nihlus in the back.

 

            "That just let you catch him off guard!" Anderson snapped.

 

            "Captain Anderson. You always seem to be involved when humanity makes false charges against me.” Saren sneered and Jane got the feeling that there was a story there. "And this must be your protégé, Commander Shepard. The one who let the beacon get destroyed."

 

            "You're the one who destroyed the beacon. Then you tried to cover it up.” John stated and Jane stood still, the appearance of a perfect soldier.

 

            "Shift the blame to cover your own failures, just like Captain Anderson. He's taught you well.” Saren taunted. "But what can you expect from a human?"

 

            "Saren despises humanity. That's why he attacked Eden Prime!" John shot back.

 

            "Your species needs to learn its place, Shepard. You're not ready to join the Council. You're not even ready to join the Spectres!" Saren cried.

 

            "He has no right to say that! That's not his decision!" Udina roared.

 

            "Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting.” Councilor Tevos stated.

 

            "Besides, if you want to blame anyone for the destruction of the beacon, it should be me.” Jane stated.

 

            "What?" Councilor Valern asked and Jane looked at each of the Councilors in the eye.

 

            "The beacon was active; it attempted to attract a biotic teammate. I pulled him away and was pulled into its field instead. I suspect a biotic mind was what drew it and might have proven too much for it to handle and that is what overloaded the systems. It could have happened with any biotic, but we won't know now.” Jane said. "Do not blame Commander John Shepard for the destruction of the beacon and do not consider it in his Spectre eligibility since he was completely uninvolved in the final detonation of the beacon."

 

            "As I said, Shepard's admission into the Spectres is not the purpose of this meeting.” Councilor Tevos repeated.

 

            "This meeting has no purpose. The humans are wasting your time, Councilor. And mine.” Saren sneered and Jane kept her attention on the Councilors.

 

            "Saren's hiding behind his position as a Spectre. You need to open your eyes!" John cried.

 

            "What we need is evidence. So far, we have seen nothing.” Councilor Valern said.

 

            "There is still one outstanding issue: Commander Jane Shepard's vision. It may have been triggered by the beacon.” Anderson declared and Jane kept her face blank.

 

            "Are we allowing dreams into evidence now? How can I defend my innocence against this kind of testimony?" Saren said and Jane kept her face calm and composed. She felt the despair, she knew it was going to fail, what was Anderson thinking?

 

            "I agree. Our judgment must be based on facts and evidence, not wild imaginings and reckless speculation.” Councilor Sparatus stated and Jane knew it was over.

 

            "Do you have anything else to add, Commander Shepard?" Councilor Valern said, looking at Jane.

 

            "You've made your decision. I won't waste my breath.” she said before looking up at Saren. He was definitely looking at her this time.

 

            "The Council has found no evidence of any connection between Saren and the geth. Ambassador, your petition to have him disbarred from the Spectres is denied.” Councilor Tevos declared.

 

            "I'm glad to see justice was served.” Saren purred and Jane kept her eyes on him. Her sniper gaze, the kill stare, she didn't look away until his hologram was gone and she let her eyes return to her professional officer at attention when she looked back at the Council. 

 

            "This meeting is adjourned.” Councilor Tevos announced and Jane turned on her heel, not looking back.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "It was a mistake bringing you into the hearing, Captain. You and Saren have too much history. It made the Council question our motives.” Udina snapped and Jane looked at Anderson. What was the connection? Saren clearly knew the Captain and vice versa.

 

            "I know Saren. He's working with the geth for one reason: to exterminate the entire human race. Every colony we have is at risk. Every world we control is in danger. Even Earth isn't safe.” Anderson said. The conviction in his voice made Jane believe him.

 

            "We need to deal with Saren ourselves.” Jane stated.

 

            "As a Spectre, he's virtually untouchable. We need to find some way to expose him.” Udina stated and Jane wondered what connections the ambassador could provide.

 

            "What about Garrus, that C-Sec investigator? We saw him arguing with the executor.” Kaidan suggested and John nodded.

 

            "That's right! He was asking for more time to finish his report. Seems like he was close to finding something on Saren.” Ash added.

 

            "Any idea where we could find him?" Jane asked.

 

            "I have a contact in C-Sec who can help us track Garrus down. His name is Harkin.” Udina said.

 

            "Forget it. They suspended Harkin last month. Drinking on the job. I won't waste my time with that loser.” Anderson replied and Jane wasn't surprised by the ambassador's choice of contact.

 

            "You won't have to. I don't want the Council using your past history with Saren as an excuse to ignore anything we turn up. The Commanders will handle this.” Udina ordered and John gave him a look of indignation.

 

            "You can't just cut Captain Anderson out of this investigation.” John said.

 

            "No the Ambassador is right. I need to step aside.” Anderson said and Jane understood why her brother respected this man so much. 

 

            "I need to take care of some business. Captain, meet me in my office later.” Udina stated and Jane watched him go, not sorry to see him leave.

 

            "Harkin's probably getting drunk at Chora's Den. It's a dingy little club in the lower section of the wards.” Anderson sighed.

 

            "Maybe there's another way to find evidence against Saren.” John suggested.

 

            "You should talk to Barla Von. Over in the financial district. Rumor has it he's an agent for the Shadow Broker.” Anderson said.

 

            "The Shadow Broker?" Ash asked.

 

            "An information dealer. Buys and sells secrets to the highest bidder. I've heard Barla Von's one of the top representatives. He might know something about Saren. But his information won't come cheap.” Anderson said and Jane wondered what it took to cut it in the information business.

 

            "I'll find something to pin Saren down.” John said and Anderson nodded at him.

 

            "Good luck, Shepard...Shepards. I'll be over in the ambassador's office if you need anything else.” Anderson said before walking away.

 

            "So where do we go?" Ash asked and Jane looked at John.

 

            "I'll take the Garrus lead.” Jane said and John smiled.

 

            "You should take Ash with you, you two have worked together more.” John said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Meet up in C-Sec at 1600.” Jane said and John waved as the two groups split.

             

~*TF*~

 

            "Ah, what's this? One of the Earth-clan? Ah, a very famous one, yes? One of the Shepards." The Volus greeted as Kaidan and John entered the office. "It is a great honor to welcome the hero of the Blitz."

 

            "You have me at a disadvantage, Mr-?"

 

            "Forgive me, Earth-clan. my name is Barla Von. My job makes it necessary for me to keep informed. I am a financial advisor to many important clients here of the Citadel. When someone as important as yourself arrives on the station, I take notice."

 

            "I heard you work for the Shadow Broker. Do you have information about Saren?" John asked. Barla Von took a deep breath of air before answering.

 

            "You're very blunt Shepard. I am an agent for the Shadow Broker. And I do know something about Saren."

 

            "So how much is the information I need?" John asked. Barla Von chuckled.

 

            "Normally this information would cost a small fortune. But these are exceptional circumstances. So I'm going to give it to you for free."

 

            "What's the catch?" Kaiden asked from behind the Commander.

 

            "There is no catch." Barla Von replied. "The Shadow Broker is quite upset with Saren right now. They used to do a lot of business. Until Saren turned on him. I don't know the detail, but the Shadow Broker hired a freelancer to deal with it. A krogan Mercenary. Last I heard he way paying a visit to Citadel Security. If you hurry, you might catch him before he leaves the Academy."

 

            "Isn't it strange that a krogan would want to speak with C-Sec?" John asked.

 

            "Very. However, I doubt the visit was entirely his choice. You'll need to speak with him if you want to know more."

 

            "Thanks you for your help." John said as he turned to go.

 

            "Come back any time Commander. I'm sure the Shadow Broker would love to exchange information with you." Barla Von called after them. John shook his head as they left.

 

            "C-Sec then?" Kaidan asked.

 

            "Looks like." John said as headed for the elevator across the Presidium. "To be honest, they only time I've met a krogan is when they've been trying to kill me."

 

            "Hopefully this one won't try to do that." Kaidan said, grinning. John laughed as they reached the elevator.

 

            The ride down was quiet, some news report about biotic extremists seizing a ship made Kaidan sigh and shake his head. As the elevator reach bottom John saw him.

 

            Covered with heavy red armor this krogan looked even bigger and meaner than any of the others John had seen. As they got nearer they heard the krogan arguing with the C-Sec officer. John waited, talking in the scene before him. The officer definitely had a set on him, arguing with the krogan like that. The krogan seemed amused by that and saw John watching them. As he stomped over to John, Kaidan muttered a quick prayer.

 

            "Do I know you human?" the krogan growled.

 

            "My name is Shepard. I'm going after Fist with my squad. Thought you might like to tag along."

 

            "Ah...Shepard? Commander Shepard? I've heard a lot about you. Half the time they said you were a female. My name is Wrex." Wrex said, issuing a rumbling chuckle. John was glad he had the right krogan, not that there were any others here but still...

 

            "That would be my sister you've heard about." John replied. Wrex issued that rumbling chuckle of his again.

 

            "Well then Shepard with the quads, since we're both warriors I'll give you a fair warning. I'm going to kill Fist." Wrex growled.

 

            "Fist knows you're coming." Kaidan explained. "We'll have a better chance if we all work together."

 

            "My people have a saying." Wrex said after a moment. "Seek the enemy of your enemy, and you will find a friend."

 

            "My squad will be here in a few minutes." John said, shaking Wrex's hand. "We'll all move out together. Glad to have you on the team Wrex."

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane and Ash exited the Citadel transport and looked around.

 

            "I'm thinking the financial district would have been more enjoyable.” Jane sighed.

 

            "It could be worse, Commander.” Ash said as they moved to the walkway. The sound of gunfire brought Jane's barrier up. "I take that back...this is worse." They ducked down.

 

            "Assassins or idiots?" Jane sighed.

 

            "They seem to not like us whoever they are.” Ash grumbled as she took a shot. Jane stood up and pulled one of the turians. He slipped over the railing and she let him go with her biotics.

 

            "One down.” Jane muttered, the turian screaming as he fell to his death.

 

            "Two.” Ash grinned and they finished off the idiots. "Too bad they couldn't tell us who they worked for."

 

            "I'm going to assume Saren.” Jane stated.

 

            "More than likely.” Ash added. They entered Chora's Den."A seedy strip joint...charming."

 

            "At least we know that the boys are going to be working.” Jane replied as she looked around. She saw C-Sec blue and walked over to the table. The man was almost old enough to be Jane's father.

 

            "Hey there, sweetheart. You looking for some fun? 'Cause I gotta say that soldier getup looks real good on that bod of yours.” Harkin purred as he looked over Jane's body. "Why don't you sit your sweet little ass down beside old Harkin? Have a drink and we'll see where this goes."

 

            "I'll pass.” Jane stated coolly.

 

            "Suit yourself, princess. You know, if more marines looked like you, I might've joined the Alliance instead of C-Sec.” Harkin stated and Jane wondered how much trouble she would get for flinging him across the room with biotics. Maybe one of the asari strippers would like to game of catch with the pervert.

 

            "I'm looking for a C-Sec officer. A turian named Garrus.” Jane said.

 

            "Garrus? Ha! You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down, eh?" Harkin laughed and Jane felt the urge to punch him. She was starting to like the Captain. "I know where Garrus is. But you gotta tell me something first. Did the captain let you in on his big secret?"

 

            "I just need to know where Garrus is.” Jane stated but Harkin clearly wanted to play a game.

 

            "But it's all related. Don't you see?" Harkin chuckled. "The captain used to be a Spectre. Didn't know that, did you? It was all very hush-hush. The first human ever given that honor. And then he blew it. Screwed up his mission so bad they kicked him out. Of course, he blames Saren. Says the turian set him up."

 

            "Just tell me where Garrus went.” Jane stated as she glared at the disgusting man.

 

            "Garrus was sniffing around Dr. Michel's clinic.” Harkin stated.

 

            "Thank you.” Jane said before she grabbed Harkin by the throat and shoved him into the wall, her biotics flickering around her. "I didn't need to hear your lies about Captain Anderson. I'm not part of his crew. I'm part of the surviving unit located on Eden Prime when the geth attacked. The next time you open your mouth to insult someone, make certain you know who you are speaking to. Keep your opinions to yourself, because it doesn't matter how many you have, if I kick them hard enough, they won't matter." Jane let him go and turned on her heel.

 

            "Commander, have I told you how much I enjoy watching you work?" Ash asked and Jane grinned.       

 

            "I am so sorry, Gunnery Chief, I completely hogged that opportunity. Did you want a shot?" Jane asked and Ash shook her head.

 

            "Nope, let's hit this clinic.” Ash said as they approached.

 

            Jane opened the clinic door and saw a group of thugs surrounding a woman and Garrus creeping along the floor rather stealthily.

 

            "I didn't tell anyone. I swear!" the woman said, probably Dr. Michel.

 

            "That was smart, Doc.” one of the thugs growled and Jane put her hand on her pistol. "Now, if Garrus comes around, you stay smart. Keep your mouth shut or we'll..." His eyes landed on Jane, he quickly wrapped an arm around Dr. Michel's neck. "Who are you?" Jane looked at the thugs, keeping Garrus in the corner of her eye.

 

            "Let her go!" Jane ordered. Garrus whipped around the corner, shooting the thug holding the doctor in the head. Jane fired with one hand and threw a barrier up around the doctor with the other. Jane and Ash shot through the open area of the wall while Garrus went around the corner. It was over quickly.

 

            "Two-bit thugs.” Jane muttered as she walked up to Garrus.

 

            "Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard.” Garrus grinned and Jane gave him a glare.

 

            "What were you thinking? You could've hit the hostage!" Jane scolded and Garrus looked genuinely surprised.

 

            "There wasn't time to think! I just reacted. I didn't mean to...Dr. Michel? Are you hurt?" Garrus asked and Jane felt pleased to see the turian treating the human doctor so sweetly. She smiled.

 

            "No. I'm okay. Thanks to you. All of you.” Dr. Michel said and Jane approached the doctor.

 

            "I know those men threatened you. But if you tell us who they work for, we can protect you.” Jane said.

 

            "They work for Fist. They wanted to shut me up, keep me from telling Garrus about the quarian.” Dr. Michel said.

 

            "Does this have anything to do with the investigation into Saren?" Jane asked, what would Garrus need with a quarian...unless the quarian had something on Saren?

 

            "I think it might. Dr. Michel, tell us what happened?" Garrus asked.

 

            "A few days ago, a quarian came by my office. She'd been shot, but she wouldn't tell me who did it. I could tell she was scared, probably on the run. She asked me about the Shadow Broker. She wanted to trade information in exchange for a safe place to hide.” Dr. Michel explained.

 

            "Where is she now?" Jane asked, quarians weren't a popular race since the geth. Many races didn't treat them kindly and if Saren knew this quarian had information on him, she could be in danger.

 

            "I put her in contact with Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker.” Dr. Michel said.

 

            "Not any more. Now he works for Saren, and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it.” Garrus stated and Jane narrowed her eyes, this proved it, the quarian had something worth finding.

 

            "Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's stupid, even for him. Saren must have made him quite the offer.” Dr. Michel commented. It said a lot about Fist that the doctor wasn't surprised.

 

            "That quarian must have something Saren wants. Something worth crossing the Shadow Broker to get.” Garrus grinned and Jane nodded.

 

            "She must have something that proves he's a traitor. Did the quarian mention anything about Saren? Or the geth?" Jane asked.

 

            "She did! The information she was going to trade. She said it had something to do with the geth.” Dr. Michel added.

 

            "She must be able to link Saren to the geth. There's no way the Council can ignore this!" Garrus cried and Jane nodded.

 

            "Time to pay Fist a visit, let me call in the cavalry.” Jane grinned as she began calling her brother.       

           

~*TF*~

 

            "So four humans, a turian, and krogan walk into a bar..." Jane began.

 

            "...and they all went inside and killed everyone." Wrex rumbled and John laughed and Jane pouted.

 

            "Ruin all my fun." Jane said, but pulled out her gun with a sigh.

 

            "Everyone ready?" John asked. They were on the walkways outside of Chora's Den. It was quiet, too quiet. It was better to go in with their guns out and get evil stares from possible patrons than get their heads shot off by an ambush. After everyone signaled their readiness John turned to Ashley by the door.

 

            "Open it and have a look inside." He ordered. Ash nodded and quickly opened the door before stepping to the side as the others gathered around the corner. Ash didn't even have time to look in before the door way filled with bullets.

 

            "Well they appear to be happy to see us." Garrus grumbled. John sighed and nodded at Jane.

 

            "Pop it and drop it." Jane agreed. Both Shepards pull out a grenade.

 

            "Count of three." John said.

 

            "One...two...three!" Jane said. They both tossed in their grenades. Men shouted in alarm and tried to back away but then the grenades went off.

 

            "Go, go, go!" John said. The squad swarmed in. There were merc and guards everywhere. The team quickly opened fire putting down most of the mercs but a krogan bouncer crashed into John, The two went skidding across the floor, up ending tables and chairs as they grappled.

 

            "John!" Jane cried out. "Move away we can't get a shot!"

 

            John had no intention of moving away. He let go of his shotgun and pulled his knife from his belt. He stabbed it up under the krogan's chin, jamming the six inch blade into the krogan's brain. The krogan dropped like a stone and John grunted as he rolled him off.

 

            "When did you start carrying that?" Jane asked, amused. John groaned as his sister helped him to feet.

 

            "Since that mission at Hoilant when we had to clear out that varren infestation as part of N-school field training." John muttered. Jane smiled.

 

            "You still think that varren wouldn't have bitten you if you could have stabbed it." Jane asked as John grabbed his knife and gun. They headed for the door to the back room.

 

            "Wouldn't have hurt." John said as they opened the door.

 

            "Stop right there! Don't come any closer!" a man stammered. John rolled his eyes.

 

            "Warehouse workers. All the real guards must be dead." Garrus muttered.

 

            "This would be a good time to find somewhere else to work." John told them. The two works took in the sight of the squad, with John in front, the chest of his armor covered in drying krogan blood.

 

            "Yeah. Yeah, right. That's a good idea."

 

            "I never liked Fist anyway." The two workers ran off.

 

            "Would have been easier to just kill them." Wrex rumbled as they moved inside. As they moved in Fist upturned his desk, diving behind it as two turrets rose from the ground to open fire. Everyone moved back.

 

            "For Chrissake." Jane muttered rolling her eyes.

 

            "I got this Commanders." Kaidan said. He moved to the edge of the hall. He peeked in, took a quick look around. He darted back as the turrets fire on him. Taking a deep breath his barrier flared to life. He peeked out again but this time sent two biotic pulls at the turrets. They turrets made large, grinding sounds before shearing completely off. They sputtered as they smashed against the wall.

 

            "Nice work Kaidan." Jane praised as they entered the room.

 

            "Thank you ma'am."

 

            "Wait! Don't kill me! I surrender!" Fist said, crawling out from behind his desk. John shook his head as Garrus frowned. He picked up some optical discs that caught his eye and pocketed them for later review.

 

            "Where's the quarian?" John demanded.

 

            "She's not here! I don't know where she is, that's the trurth!" Fist replied.

 

            "He's no use to you now. Let me kill him." Wrex rumbled, aiming his shotgun at Fist.

 

            "Wait! Wait! I don't know where the quarian is, but I know where you can find her. She said she'd only deal with the Shadow Broker himself." Fist blurted out.

 

            "Face to face? Impossible. Even _I_ was hired through an agent." Wrex said. Fist slowly got to his feet.

 

            "Nobody meets the Shadow Broker. Even I don't know his true identity. But she didn't know that. I told her I'd set up a meeting, but when she shows up, it'll be Saren's men waiting for her." 

 

            "Give me the location, now!" John demanded, yanking his Fist towards him.

 

            "Here on the wards. The back alley by the markets." Fist said and John let the man go. "She supposed to meet them right now. You can make it if you hurry."

 

            Wrex quickly raised his shotgun and shot Fist in the head. The man went down with a meaty thud.

 

            "Drop the gun, krogan!" Ashley snapped turning her rifle on Wrex.

 

            "The Shadow Broker paid me to kill him. I don't leave jobs half done." Wrex rumbled, giving Ashley a glare.

 

            "Easy Ash, put the gun down." Jane told the Marine, while Garrus shook his head.

 

            "Next time wait till I'm farther away, okay?" John retorted. "And when a prisoner surrenders next time, wait to talk to me before you kill them, okay? I know you have to fulfill a contract but I may want to ask about something else besides what we need to know. Now let's go!"

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane stared at the remains of Fist's head and looked at the Krogan and then at Ashley.

 

            "You brought a krogan bounty hunter to a shakedown of his target and you didn't think he was going to kill him?" Jane asked.

 

            "We don't have time for this, the quarian is in danger!" John shouted.

 

            "His brains made a pretty splatter.” Jane said to Wrex and the krogan laughed as they began to run. Jane and John were neck and neck as they raced toward the back alley. They were at the top of the stairs when they saw the quarian being approached by the turian.

 

            "Did you bring it?" the turian purred.

 

            "Where's the Shadow Broker? Where's Fist?" the quarian asked.

 

            "They'll be here. Where's the evidence?" the turian asked and Jane glared. The quarian was alone in a place where she was riffraff and the turian was going to kill her. Jane was going to kill him.

 

            "No way. The deal's off.” the quarian spat as Jane and John got into position. Jane liked the way the quarian slapped away the turian's grabby claws. She knew this was dirty, good for her. The quarian saw the others closing in on her. She ducked away, tossing something and a blast went off. Jane and John stood up at the base of the stairs, aware of the group behind them and up the stairs. They quickly took care of the turian and the two salarians. Jane rushed over to the quarian.

 

            "Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him!" she hissed.

 

            "Were you hurt in the fight?" Jane asked.

 

            "I know how to look after myself. Not that I don't appreciate the help. Who are you?" she asked and John approached.

 

            "My name's Shepard, this is my sister. We're looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor.” John said and Jane realized the quarian was rather young.

 

            "Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life. But not here. We need to go somewhere safe.” the quarian said.

 

            "The ambassador's office. It's safe there. He'll want to see this anyway.” Ash said.

 

            "Let's get you someplace safe, kid.” Jane said as she gave John a victorious grin.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "You two are not making my life easy. Firefights in the wards? An all-out assault on Chora's Den? Do you know how many...who's this? A quarian? What are you up to, Shepard?" Udina growled and Jane tried to look innocent.

 

            "Making your day, Ambassador. She has information linking Saren to the geth.” John grinned and Jane nodded.

 

            "Really? Maybe you better start at the beginning, Miss...?" Udina seemed to be extra sweet for the quarian now, Jane noticed with a smirk.

 

            "My name is Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.” Tali introduced herself.

 

            "We don't see many quarians here. Why did you leave the flotilla?" Udina asked.

 

            "I was on my Pilgrimage, my rite of passage into adulthood.” Tali said and Jane nodded, Tali was fairly young then.

 

            "Tell us what you found.” Jane asked.

 

            "During my travels I began hearing reports of geth. Since they drove my people into exile, the geth have never ventured beyond the Veil. I was curious.” Tali explained. "I tracked a patrol of geth to an uncharted world. I waited for one to become separated from its unit. Then I disabled it and removed its memory core."

 

            "I thought the geth fried their memory cores when they died. Some kind of defense mechanism.” Anderson stated.

 

            "How did you manage to preserve the memory core?" John asked.

 

            "My people created the geth. If you're quick, careful, and lucky small caches of data can sometimes be saved.” Tali said. "Most of the core was wiped clean. But I salvaged something from its audio banks." Tali played it and Jane smiled at her brother. They shared a look of complete victory.

 

            "I don't recognize that other voice. The one talking about Reapers.” Udina muttered.

 

            "I feel like I've heard that name before.” Jane muttered, rubbing her neck.

 

            "According to the memory core, the Reapers were a hyper-advanced machine race that existed 50,000 years ago.” Tali explained. "The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the geth believe."

 

            "Sounds a little far-fetched.” Udina said snidely.

 

            "The vision on Eden Prime...I understand it now. I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers.” Jane stated.

 

            "The geth revere the Reapers as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe Saren knows how to bring the Reapers back.” Tali said.

 

            "The Council is just going to love this!" Udina scoffed and Jane rolled her eyes.

 

            "The Reapers are a threat to every species in Citadel space. We have to tell them.” Jane said.

 

            "No matter what they think about the rest of this, those audio files prove Saren's a traitor.” Anderson declared.

 

            "The captain's right. We need to present this to the Council right away.” Udina muttered.

 

            "What about her? The quarian?" Wrex asked and Jane found herself liking the giant hulk of krogan.

 

            "My name is Tali!" Tali barked. "You saw me in the ally, Commander. You know what I can do. Let me come with you."

 

            "We'll take all the help we can get.” John grinned and Jane nodded.

 

            "Thanks. You won't regret this.” Tali said.

 

            "Anderson and I will go ahead to get things ready with the Council. Take a few minutes to collect yourself, then meet us in the Tower.” Udina ordered before marching out. 

 

~*TF*~

 

_"Eden Prime was a major victory! The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_

_"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_

 

"You wanted proof, there it is. This confirms everything Jane Shepard saw on Eden Prime, despite her so called mental state." Undina declared. John snarled and took a step at the back of the Human Ambassador but Jane grabbed his arm. When John glanced at her, she shook her head. Getting her message, John sighed but stepped back.

 

"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador." Councilor Sparatus said, shaking his head. "Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

 

"And Commander Jane Shepard, we owe you an apology." Councilor Tevos added. "You have proven yourself to be of sound mind and character. I am sorry we doubted you before. Back to the matter at hand, I believe I know the identity of the other person speaking with Saren. That is Matriarch Benezia."

 

"Who is she?" Jane asked.

 

"Matriarchs are powerful asari who have entered the final stage of their lives. Revered for their wisdom and experience, they serve as guides and mentors to my people. Matriarch Benzia is a powerful biotic, and she has many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." Councilor Tevos explained.

 

"I'm more interested in these Reapers." Councilor Valern mused. "What do you know about them?"

 

"Only what was extracted from the geth's memory core." Captain Anderson explained. "The Reapers were an ancient race of machine that wiped out the Proteans. Then they vanished."

 

"The geth believe the Reapers are gods. And that Saren is the prophet for their return." John chimed in.

 

"We think the Conduit is the key to bringing them back, Saren's searching for it. That's why he attacked Eden Prime." Anderson finished.

 

"Do we even know what this Conduit is?" Councilor Valern inquired.

 

"No sir, not yet." Jane said. "However Saren thinks it can bring back the Reapers. That's bad enough."

 

"Listen to what you're saying!" Councilor Sparatus snapped. "Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? If they were real, we'd have found something!"

 

"We tried to warn you about Saren, and you refused to face the truth. Don't make the same mistake again." John snapped back.

 

"This is different. You proved Saren betrayed the Council. We all agree he’s using the geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why." Councilor Tevos said.

 

"The Reapers are obviously just a myth, Commander. A convenient lie to cover Saren's true purpose. A legend he is using to bend the geth to his will." Councilor Valern reasoned.

 

"Fifty thousand years ago, the Reapers wiped out all galactic civilization. If Saren finds the Conduit, it will happen again!" Jane jumped in.

 

"Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a Sectre. The Council has stripped him of his position." Councilor Sparatus said.

 

"That is not good enough!" Undina shouted. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!"

 

"A fleet cannot track down one man." Councilor Valern retorted.

 

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the geth from attacking any more of our colonies." Undina explained.

 

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems!" Councilor Sparatus countered. "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few dozen human colonies!"

 

"I can take Saren down." John said, punching his right fist into the palm of his left hand.

 

"The Commander's right. There is a way to stop Saren that doesn't require fleets or armies." Tevos said.

 

"No!" Councilor Sparatus burst out. "Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

 

"You don't have to send a fleet into the Traverse, and the Ambassador gets his human Spectre. Everybody's happy." John countered.

 

The Council shared looks amongst themselves. The Councilor Tevos shoot the group of humans a long look.

 

"One moment." she said and stepped back from her podium, drawing the other two Councilors with her. They began talking in hushed tones away from the microphones.

 

"What's that all about?" Anderson muttered to Undina. Udina scowled.

 

"Whatever the reason meeting like that during an open Council meeting is highly irregular." Udina muttered just as the Citadel Council stepped back to their former positions.

 

"Commander John Shepard - step forward." Councilor Tevos said. After exchanging a nod with Anderson, John straightened and swiftly moved forward, adopting an at attention stance. Even so he almost buckled at what came next.

 

"Commander Jane Shepard - step forward." Councilor Valern said. Jane blinked in shock as she stepped forward, matching her brother's stance as she stood before the Council.

 

"We are fully aware that Nihlus was given a Spectre candidate drawn from a pool of Humanities' best. From your service records and what we have heard of both of your actions today, both of you are equally qualified to become Spectres." Councilor Tevos explained. "It is the decision of the Council that both John and Jane Shepard be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citdael."

 

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file. Just as you two have proven today." Councilor Valern said.

 

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." Councilor Tevos said.

 

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The Safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." Councilor Sparatus said.

 

"You two are the first human Spectres. This is a great accomplishment for you and your entire species." Councilor Tevos acknowledged.

 

"I'm honored, Councilors." John and Jane spoke in unison, both bowing slightly.

 

"We're sending both of you into the Traverse after Saren. He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him." Councilor Valern ordered.

 

"While both of you have been sworn in together, this does not mean your fates are directly tied to the other. You may choose to work alone or together. But know this, we have had sibling teams of Spectres before. We find the pairing to be most advantageous. We hope you two decide to continue this pairing after your finish your mission. With that, this meeting of the Council is adjourned." Councilor Tevos finished.

 

~*TF*~

 

"Two? Unbelievable." Undina muttered. John and Jane shared a look and began to grin.

 

"Not bad, baby sister." John congratulated.

 

"Not too shabby, big brother by fourteen minutes.” Jane said. The two Shepards grinned at each other.

 

"Congratulations Commanders." Anderson said, shaking their hands.

 

"We've got a lot of work to do." Undina mused. "You two will need a ship, a crew, supplies...Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help to set this all up. We'll also need to contact the Alliance. Getting two Spectres goes beyond their wildest dreams."

 

"Well what do we do now?" Ashley asked. John thought for a moment before turning to Garrus.

 

"Garrus, can you get us time in a conference room at C-Sec and maybe some time on the Citadel target range for the next few hours?" John asked.

 

"I can swing that but it’ll take about a hour or so." Garrus said. "What's the plan, John?"

 

"I know Kaidan and Ashley will be coming with us. Tali you've said the same and I know Wrex is in." John said.

 

"Damn right, Shepard." Wrex rumbled.

 

"You're not leaving me behind, Shepard." Garrus stated.

 

"So we need some place to go over some things." John explained. "Squad formations, hand signals, and some basic plans that Jane and I use so when we're in a fire fight, we cut down on the confusion. That way no one gets their head blown off because they misunderstand something."

 

"Plus I want to upgrade some things at the C-Sec requisition office. See if they have some equipment only Spectres can access." Jane said, smiling. John blinked and grinned evilly.

 

"Damn fine idea, I’m going to join you. Everyone else, meet at C-Sec in one hour. Gather supplies and anything else you might need for an extended mission on ship.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            Several hours later the ragtag group exited the elevator with their supplies in tow and looked at the Normandy.

 

            "I've got big news for you, Shepard. Captain Anderson is stepping down as commanding officer of the Normandy. The ship is yours now.” Udina spoke to John and Jane blinked.

 

            "She's quick and quiet and you know the crew. Perfect ship for a pair of Spectres. Treat her well, Commanders.” Anderson said and Jane stepped back to let John have a moment with his mentor.

 

             "I'll take good care of her, sir.” John said.

 

            "I know you will, Commander.” Anderson replied.

 

            "What kind of leads do we have?" Jane asked.

 

            "Saren's gone. Don't even try to find him. But we know what he's after: the Conduit. He's got his geth scouring the Traverse looking for clues.” Anderson stated.

 

            "We have reports of geth in the Feros system shortly before our colony there dropped out of contact. And there have been sightings around Noveria.” Udina added.

 

            "Find out what Saren was after on Feros and Noveria. Maybe you can figure out where the Conduit is before he does.” Anders said.

 

            "The Reapers are the real threat.” Jane stated.

 

            "I'm with the Council on this one, Shepard. I'm not sure they even exist.” Udina said and Jane thought about the beacon's vision. They were real.

 

            "But if they do exist, the Conduit's the key to bringing them back. Stop Saren from getting the Conduit and we stop the Reapers from returning.” Anderson said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'll stop him.” she growled.

 

            "We have one more lead. Matriarch Benezia, the other voice on that recording? She has a daughter, a scientist who specializes in the Protheans.” Udina said. "We don't know if she's involved but it might be a good idea to try and find her. See what she knows. Her name's Liara. Dr. Liara T'Soni. We have reports she was exploring an archeological dig on one of the uncharted world in the Artemis Tau cluster."

 

            "Sounds like we should head for the Artemis Tau cluster.” John stated and Jane nodded.

 

            "It's your decision, Commanders. You're Spectres now. You don't answer to us.” Anderson said, looking like a proud father.

 

            "But your actions still reflect on humanity as a whole. You make a mess and I get stuck cleaning it up.” Udina snarled.

 

            "We'll try not to make things any harder on you, Ambassador.” Jane said.

 

            "Glad to hear it, Commander. Remember: you were a human long before you were a Spectre.” Udina stated and Jane fought not to roll her eyes. "I have a meeting to get to. Captain Anderson can answer any questions you might have." John, Jane, Ash, and Kaidan saluted the Captain before they entered the ship.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "I heard what happened to Captain Anderson and-who's this?" Joker asked as the twins stepped onto the bridge.

 

            "I'm Commander Jane Shepard. Spectre and twin sister to the Commander you know so well.” Jane said as she looked at Joker and he looked at her. It was clear there was something waiting to be said, but instead he turned to John.

 

            "I mean, he survives a hundred battles, and then gets taken down by backroom politics.” Joker continued and Jane smirked. "Just watch your back, Commander..., uh Commanders. Things go bad on this mission, you two are next on their chopping block."

 

            "Saren's out there somewhere. And we're going to find him.” Jane said.

 

            "Everyone on this ship is behind you, Commander. One hundred percent.” Joker said, looking up at John. "Give 'em time, and you'll be at one hundred percent too." He shot Jane a look. "Intercom's open. If you've got anything you want to say to the crew, now's the time."

 

            "Up for a big speech?" John asked.

 

            "Together for this one.” Jane replied.

 

            "This is Commander John Shepard..."

 

            "...and Commander Jane Shepard speaking."

 

            "We have our orders:"

 

            "Find Saren before he finds the Conduit.” Jane stated.

 

            "I won't lie to you, crew. This mission isn't going to be easy.” John confessed. "For too long our species has stood apart from the others. Now it's time for us to step up and do our part for the rest of the galaxy!"

 

            "Time to show them what humans are made of!" Jane added. "Our enemy knows we're coming. When we go into the Traverse, Saren's followers will be waiting for us. But we'll be ready for them, too."

 

            "Humanity needs to do this.” John said. "Not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space."

 

            "Saren must be stopped, and I promise you all..." Jane stared, looking at John.

 

            "We will stop him.” the twins said in unison.

 

            "Well said, Commanders. The Captain would be proud.” Joke said.

 

            "The captain gave up everything so we could have this chance. We can't fail.” John said and the two turned away from the bridge.

  
            "Yes, sir and ma'am.” Joker stated.   

 

~*TF*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: The John and Jane Shepard characters in this story are based on the two favorite characters of Toby and myself. Toby tends to play as a soldier with a habit of rushing into battle and I tend to play as an adept sniper. While our preferred characters look nothing like the presets, their decisions and personalities are totally what we play. 
> 
> Paragon for life, baby!


	3. Finding Dr. T'Soni

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepards explore an entire system trying to find Dr. Liara T'Soni. The crew gets to see the Shepards driving the Mako.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: June 2nd, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Entering the Artemis Tau Cluster

Jane Shepard looked over the CDC at the holographic map. Which system would Protheans most likely have a hidden ruin?

"Credit for your thoughts.” John said as he approached with a data pad in hand and Jane looked at him over her shoulder. 

"The four major systems are Athens, Knossos, Macedon, and Sparta.” Jane stated. "There are no unusual readings to help us narrow down where Dr. T'Soni could be." 

"So we’re pretty much just guessing at this point?" John asked and Jane sighed. 

"Pretty much.” she confessed and John shrugged. 

"I like Athens.” John pointed out and Jane smirked. 

"That's because you love Greek mythology.” she said. "I suppose we could go Athens, Macedon, Sparta, and Knossos." 

"Why that order?" John asked. 

"Well it's a circle that way, and we save the ancient city that was actually on an island and not Greece for last.” she pointed out. 

"I guess that works.” John said. 

"Joker, let's aim for Athens first.” Jane ordered. 

"Yes, Ma'am.” Joker called and Jane looked at the holograph, tapping at the console to make the selected system bigger.

"Five planets, let's hope they are easy to evaluate.” Jane muttered. 

"Come on, I'll buy you a beer while we head for the system.” John said. 

"I'm on duty.” Jane shot back. 

"We’re in transit, come on, have lunch with your big brother.” he said and Jane rolled her eyes. 

"I'll have lunch, but I'm not drinking. We really need to work on our shifts anyway, might as well get that done over lunch.” she sighed as they headed down to the mess. John stopped to get a couple of pads with the Normandy’s personnel roster. "And you are only fourteen minutes older." 

"Doesn't matter, I'm still buying my little sister lunch. Besides I don’t condone drinking during duty either.” he said as they each grabbed a meal tray and waited to heat them up in the microwave. "I'm thinking we overlap an hour at each end of the shift. That allows us to share the bed." 

"Thirteen hour shifts would do that. I can start at 000 and go till 1300 and you go from 1200 till 100.” Jane nodded as her food finished cooking and she moved to the table. 

"Aren't you going to wait for me?" John teased.

"I'm a biotic, I need to eat or else I get all migraine-y.” Jane stated as she opened the container and looked at what the Alliance called lunch. "I'd kill for some of Mom's roast chicken." 

"You do know that wasn't really chicken.” John teased.

"And those hamburgers you loved so much weren't really cow...or ham.” Jane shot back as she bit into the burrito-like object. It was beef flavored. 

"What is so different about those biotic lunches?" John asked as he sat down. "We both got the same version of the meal." Jane gave him a look for asking a question while her mouth was full. Kaidan came to rescue as he entered the mess area as well.

"Biotic meals have fat injected in. Most meals make sure to keep the fat levels at healthy reserves for humans on ships, biotics burn more calories, so to keep us healthy our food has more fat.” Kaidan stated as he popped his meal tray into the microwave.

"I know that.” John stated. "I should reword the question, does it taste different?" 

"I don't know.” Jane stated, grabbing John's wrist and taking the first bite of his burrito before sitting back. "Yes, they taste the same." 

"I should have seen that coming.” he sighed. 

"Commander...ma'am.” Kaidan clarified when both Shepards looked at him. "Were you sent to BAaT for your training?" Jane shook her head.

"I missed BAaT by a few years, I was part of the trial group for the program that is now being used on Grissom.” she replied and Kaidan nodded before collecting his tray and sitting next to John. 

"Is this going to be a biotic shop talk?” John asked and Jane rolled her eyes. 

"Alenko, we've decided to do a thirteen hour shift between the two of us. We will overlap for an hour coming on and going off.” Jane stated. "I want to do a similar schedule with you and Williams. You served as John's LT and Ash has been under me for about a month. However, I want you two split between us." 

"I see how you’re doing this.” John nodded. "If our shifts are 000 to 1300 and 1200 to 100, then their schedules would be 600 to 1900 and 1800 to 700."

"Exactly, that way we have an overlap of all personnel and fresh eyes constantly rotating in and out.” Jane stated and John nodded. He typed away on a pad and handed it to Jane who looked it over, chewing on a bite for minute.

"Would it be possible for me to get the 600 to 1900 shift, it fits my usual schedule.” Kaidan asked and the Shepards looked at each other.

"You have rank.” Jane stated. 

"Your call, you proved yourself on Eden Prime.” John replied as the rest of the crew also arrived for lunch.

~*~*~

"Commanders." Garrus said. He and Tali headed for the supply cabinet John had marked for dextro supplies. They prepped their meals with the others and Jane noted with amusement that Wrex helped himself to two meals. As they all sat down at the table John finished off his meal in a couple of quick bites. He picked up his datapad again as he munched on the last bit before speaking. 

"Since everyone is here, I want to let you know that we're everyone set up with staggered shifts. We're going to use standard Alliance Military time. I'll get all of you who don't have it, basic access to the ship and its general database. It'll be entry level clearance but it should help us all read up on briefs and reports during down time. Any questions so far?" John asked. He waited a few minutes but no one spoke up.

"Okay, this is libel to change later but these are the areas you'll be working on when you're on ship and on duty." John continued typing away for a moment. "Garrus from what I've read of your dossier that C-SEC forwarded to me you have basic skills on ground vehicle maintenance. I'm assigning you to the Mako upkeep. You'll be in charge of repairs with Wrex and Ashely helping you as needed."

"Will do Commander." Garrus replied, raising his wrap into the air in a mock salute before taking a big bite out of it.

"Ash, Wrex besides helping Garrus out when he needs the hands, you two will be maintaining the armory and all supplies therein. Check with Ensign Chris Postle, he's our requisition officer. I'm not saying buy everything under the sun, but make sure to keep the stock of basic mods and other field supplies topped off. Anything high end and that we could use, run by me or Jane first." John said.

“Also our PT equipment is also stored in the armory.” Jane added after finishing a bite of her lunch. “That needs to be maintained and set up as needed. Since we’re staggering the shifts people maybe using it odd times. I’m not saying you have to wipe it down after someone uses it, but try to make sure it stays in working order. Garrus if you have some down time, help them out when you can.” 

“Got it Shepards.” Wrex said, shoving an entire meal wrap into his mouth.

“Yes sirs, ummm, ma’am and sir.” Ashely said. John grinned while Jane chuckled.

“Sirs is fine when addressing both of us, Ash.” Jane assured the Chief. 

“Tali when I spoke with you earlier you mentioned you had a lot of experience working on the engines when you were on the Flotilla. I’d like you to work with Chief Engineer Adams. I’ve already spoken with him and he’s excited to talk with you. Feel free to ask what you like. As long as it's not classified, Adams will fill you in on anything about the Normandy and if you like, you can take it back to the Flotilla as part of you Pilgrimage gift.” John said.

“Thank you Shepard, that will be a big help.” Tali responded, happily. John grinned at her and gave her a wink.

“It's John.” He said, and the little light on Tali’s mouth port lit up a few times as if she was trying to speak. In the end she said nothing.

“Kaidan, you help Joker pilot the Normandy but I noticed he’s always at the helm. In fact, per the old roster he should have been off duty two hours ago. Do you take the helm solo at all?” Jane asked, curious.

“Not too often Commander.” Kaidan admitted. “Joker prefers to being at the helm. He can’t do PT everyday to stay in shape. He also does his paperwork and even has others bring him his meals at the helm. I’ve only seen him hand it over to someone else for rack time and bathroom breaks.”

“Why can’t he do PT?” Jane asked and Kaidan squirmed in his chair.

“It’d be better to ask him, ma’am.”

“I will.” Jane said and sighed.

“Well it's against regs but as long as he doesn’t drive himself to the brink I’m okay with it.” John said and shot Jane a look. Jane rolled her eyes and sighed.

“Alright, as long as he gets six hours of sleep a day I can let it slide. Let us know if he starts to burn out, alright Kaidan?” Jane allowed. Kaidan smiled and nodded.

“Yes, ma’am.” 

“One last thing.” John said as Ash made to get up. She frowned but sat back down. John gestured to the datapad he brought to share with Jane earlier. “I received orders and status regarding the Normandy. Officially the ship and all personnel on board are attached to the Citadel as part of the defense forces as they see fit. It's their polite way of reminding us that even thought Jane and I are Spectres, the Alliance considers us, the Normandy and its crew as Allaince. They have also extended security clearance to all non-Alliance personnel.” John gestured to Tali, Garrus and Wrex. “You three are considered mission advisors.”

“And unofficially?” Garrus asked. John grinned and Jane smiled when she saw the look on his face. She took the datapad from him as he began to speak.

“Unofficially you’re crew.” John stated. “Everyone currently at this table is considered the ground team. When one of us calls for the ground team to report for brief, that means you.”

“They left out the first name and service number of the Commanding Officer for the Normandy.” Jane said, looking at the datapad in surprise. John shot her a smirk.

“Noticed that did you?”

“What does that mean?” Garrus asked and Kaidan sighed.

“It means that the Commanders both have the same level of control of the ship. I’ve heard of them leaving rank off of the senior officers during black ops to protect the CO but this is crazy.” Kaidan grumbled.

“So who leads us then? The female or the male?” Wrex grumbled. Jane sighed as everyone turned to stare at them.

“We’ll do it just like before.” Jane said, and John nodded.

“Before?” Ash asked and John grinned at her.

“Jane and I went through N-school together.” He explained. “We got paired up on the same squad and we had the same rank then too. We decided we’d switch off as needs demanded.”

“Still there had to have been issues with who led. Two battlemasters hardly ever agree on the same plan of battle.” Wrex stated. 

“Which brings us to how this squad will work. John and I will decide during pre-mission brief who will lead and who will go. I expect all of you to accompany us on most missions.” Jane stated.

“During operations on the Normandy whoever is on duty will have the first say.” John said.

“Also, if we argue about a decision, feel free to offer opinions but do not side with either of us.” Jane continued.

“It fractures the squad and causes problems during the mission.” John explained.

“Any questions?” The Shepards asked in unison. The other ground team members all shivered.

“Keelah that was scary.” Tali whimpered. 

“Alright then. We’ll have after mission meetings like this from now on. I liked it.” John said. 

“Dismissed everyone.” Jane stated.

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 4th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Athens System 

"Well that wasted a day.” John chuckled and Jane sighed as she looked at the various materials they had found. 

"Well, those two gas giants could be used for hydrogen fuel collection, so we can sent this report to Alliance Command. Your shift didn't find Doctor T'soni either, but we did get something out of it.” Jane stated. 

"Garrus says that the insignia we found belongs to the Magna Colony. They might call rights on a hydrogen fueling station.” Ash stated as she entered the bridge and Jane nodded. 

"That's useful, we can send out two reports then, one to Alliance and one to the Council.” Jane stated.

"You're really going to tell the Council?" Ash asked and Jane gave her a look. 

"Ash, both of your Commanders are acting Spectres right now. We are going to keep the Council in the loop.” Jane said before giving her brother a look. 

"Yeah, of course.” he said with a grin. 

"By the book, John.” Jane warned and he grinned as he headed off the bridge. 

"Where to next, Commander?" Joker asked and Jane sighed. 

"Macedon system. One system down, three possibly to go.” she stated before looking at Joker. 

"Can I help you, ma'am?" Joker asked. 

"I like to know my crew. Mind if I ask you a few questions?" Jane asked and Joker scoffed.

"I can see where this is going. You did a background check on me, didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told the captain. You want me as your pilot. I'm not good, I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet! Top of my class in flight school? I earned that. All those commendations in my file? I earned every single one. Those weren't given to me as a charity for my disease.” Joker snapped with righteous indignation. Jane stared for a moment. 

"What are you talking about? Are you sick?" she asked with sincere concern and Joker's face dropped.

"You mean...you mean you didn't know? Ah, crap.” Joker groaned before shaking his head and turning to look Jane in the eyes. "Okay...I've got Vrolik's Syndrome. Brittle bone disease. The bones in my legs never developed properly. They're basically hollow. Too much force and they'll shatter. Even with crutches and my leg brace it's hard to get around. One wrong step and crack! It's very dramatic! But I've learned to manage my condition, Commander. Put the Normandy in my hands and I'll make her dance for you. Just don't ask me to get up and dance, unless, you know, you like the sound of snapping shin bones." Joker turned back to look at the controls. Jane looked at him for a moment before looking out at space. 

"I generally don't go poking around files unless I suspect something, Joker. If I want to know something about a person, I usually just ask them.” Jane stated. "You and the Normandy's crew helped to rescue Eden Prime, all of you were on my good side for that alone. I’m sorry to have made you paranoid." 

"It was nothing.” Joker sighed and Jane smirked. 

"However, after that display, I have to ask. Why does everyone call you Joker?" she asked with a grin and Joker rolled his eyes. 

"It's a lot shorter than saying Alliance Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. Plus, I love to make little children laugh.” Joker said in a snide tone and Jane smirked. 

"I was just thinking how much you remind me of Santa Claus.” she teased and Joker gave her a look.

"Look, I didn't pick the name. One of the instructors in flight school used to bug me about never smiling. She started calling me Joker, and it stuck.” he stated in a clipped manner and Jane looked at him. He was doing his best to keep from facing her. 

"Why didn't you ever smile?" she asked. 

"Hey, I worked my ass off in flight school, Commander. The world's not going to hand you anything if you go around grinning like an idiot. By the end of the year, I was the best pilot in the Academy. Even better than the instructors. And everybody knew it. They'd all gotten their asses kicked by the sickly kid with the creaky little legs. One guess who was smiling at graduation.” he smirked before looking at Jane and she nodded. 

"You'll do, Joker, you have that je ne sais quoi I like in my soldiers. You'll do, just watch the lip with the higher ups. I hate having to do the paperwork to apologize for smart ass helmsmen.” Jane order as she turned. "Get us to Macedon in one piece." 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 5th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, On Sharjila in the Macedon System 

“Jane.”

Jane turned in surprise to find John standing behind her holding out a mug of coffee to her.

“It’s 1207 hours. Let me take over so you can get some dinner.” John said. Jane smiled and took the mug from her brother gratefully.

“Thanks, John.” Jane said and took a long drink from her mug as she headed off.

“Pressley, mark the time as 1208 hours, Commander John Shepard assuming command on his watch.” John said, sipping his own coffee.

“Aye sir.” Pressley said. The Normandy’s VI chimed out on the deck of the change and John nodded. 

“Very good. Call me if you need anything.” John said and stepped away from the map console. He made his way up front by Joker. Joker looked up as John approached.

“Hey Commander, had a nice talk with your sister. She’s like you but you know, hot.” Joker said. 

“Joker…” John warned.

“Got it, don’t say anything about the N7’s sister.” Joker said.

“You learn well young apprentice.” John shot back. Joker laughed.

“Still she’s creepy when she’s on deck. She stood at the map and she seemed to stare at everyone. At least you wander the ship checking on everyone.” 

“Comes from being a sniper.” John explained. “Jane always liked to watch things from a distance.”

“Still can you ask her to um, not drill holes in the back of my head?”

“No promises.” John said, turning around from his helmsmen. “I’m going to check on everyone. Call me if you need anything.”

“Aye aye sir.”

~*~*~

"I still don't see why we're dropping onto this planet." Wrex grumbled as the Mako came to skidding halt on the ground of the planet Sharjila. John was busy double checking the Mako's readout to make sure everything was operational so Jane turned around in her seat right behind him. It was the gunner's seat and control the Mako's turrets. 

To her right was Garrus and right next to him was Wrex. Ashely, Kaidan and Tali sat on seats opposite of them with an empty seat in the back for another three human sized people.

"Joker picked up some encrypted chatter across the communications band. From what we could decrypt it appears to be slavers. John and I make is special point to shut down those kinds of operations if we can." Jane explained. Wrex grunted and crossed his arms.

"Very well Shepard, as long as there's a good fight." Wrex grumbled. Jane laughed and turned back around as the Mako's VI began to chirp.

"Warning, safety locks have been turned off for current driver. Please note that this could create hazardous situations as the M35 Mako will not automatically engage thrusters to maintain contact with ground during vertical ascents. To re-engage th-" The VI was cut off as John switch off the warning notices.

"Uh Commander don't we need that?" Garrus asked. 

"Nah I'm good." John said as Jane buckled her seat belt. "Buckle up everyone!" 

Tali leaned over to whisper to Ashely, "What does he mean by buckling up? Buckle what?"

Tali's answer was a terrified scream from the Gunnery Chief as John Shepard stomped his foot on the accelerator. 

~*~*~

"Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name!"

"Ash."

"Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven!"

"Ashley!"

"Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us-!"

"WILLIAMS!"

Ashley stopped praying to look up. Jane was looking at her in exasperation while John was shooting her an amused look. Everyone else was frozen stiff.

"He stopped." Jane said and Ashely took a deep breath.

"Sorry ma'am." 

"It's okay, my instructor did the same thing during basic." John replied. Kaidan made a choking sound.

"Everyone suit up. There are a couple of minerals around here I want to mark and Jane noticed something odd. Since it was on our way to the slaver's camp I thought we'd stop by." John explained. Everyone put their helmets on and John popped the hatch. Most of the others followed him out but Jane waited behind. Ashley was the last out and stood with her. Indicating with hand signals to switch to a private comm channel, she did.

"Are you okay Ash?" Jane asked, concerned.

"I was until he jumped from one mountain top to another using the jump jets." Ashley replied. She heard Jane sigh.

"He does that."

~*~*~

The Mako came to skidding halt as it cleared the ridge. John gave a low whistle as Jane scanned the area around the pre-fab building.

"I count three sniper towers and at least a dozen guards on the outside." Jane reported. John was thoughtful for a moment.

"Can I count on you to focus fire power on the towers until the snipers are down?" John asked.

"You got it! What's the plan?" she asked. The Mako shift and roared down the hill in high gear as John gunner the engine.

"Don't get killed." John said as they hit a bump and went airborne. He fired all the jump jets at once, sending the Mako higher. The Mako soared for a moment before landing in a cluster of the troops. There seemed to be a momentary pause before the slavers opened fire, trying to take down the Mako's shields.

"Hold on!" John said to the others as he put the Mako in gear again. It lurched forward and Tali made a choking sound as she saw over John's shoulder to see two human mercs go flying over the hood as John barreled right through the Mercs.

"You crazy boshtet!" Tali cried out, just as Jane fired the canon. The top of one of the towers exploded.

"That sound like a Quarian insult!" Called back to them as Jane fired with the guns as John swerved around, aiming for Mercs.

"It was!" Garrus cried, clinging to a rail over his seat. "It human terms it basically means bastard!"

"Ha! Gotta remember that one!"

"Shepard that one can still crawl!" Wrex point out. John saw the Merc crawling towards the building. The canon roared again and then John changed course. He hit a bump which made Wrex laugh. "Now he can't."

"Do all humans drive like this?" Garrus asked as John brought the Mako to a stop not too far from the doors to the building. The canon roared one final time and Jane cheered.

"Commander John Shepard is the only one I've ever seen drive like this." Kaidan said.

"Thank the Spirits for small favors."

"Everyone, suit up, we're going inside." John ordered.

~*~*~

"Seems kind of quiet." Ashely said as the main door closed behind them. Jane paused from opening the second door and shoot Ashley a look. "What?"

"Never, ever say that during a mission." Jane snapped. Ashley shrugged.

"Why not?" she asked. He answer came as Jane hit the pad to open the door. She dove to the side as hundreds of round filled the doorway.

"That answer your question?" Jane snarked. The gunfire eventually died down, leaving an uncomfortable silence. 

"Well now what?" Wrex rumbled after a few minutes.

"Aw fuck it." John mumbled. He pulled out all of his grenades and moved to the side of the door.

"John you are not seriously considering-" Jane was cut off as John pulled the pins on all of his grenades and threw them all thru the doorway just before jamming his hand on the door pad to close the door. Men began to scream and then explosions began to ring out. When the noise died down Garrus went for the door.

"Wait." John said. Everyone was staring at him before one last bang went off. 

"I saw a fuel tank inside." John explained as he opened the door. Everyone moved in, sweeping the area. 

"There, upper floor balcony!" Garrus cried out. 

"Cover, cover!" John screamed as the remaining slavers opened fire. 

"Well this is cute." Jane mumbled.

"I got this Commanders." Tali said. She quickly detached a device from her Omni-tool arm and tossed it over. "Shut your eyes!"

There was a loud crackle followed by a bang. The mercs began to curse and cry out.

"Good job Tali now open fire!" John ordered and everyone stood as one and began to fire...

~*~*~

Jane stood over the dead Asari and kicked her, making sure the leader was dead. 

"Well, that's one less slaver, right, Commander?" Ash asked and Jane nodded as she knelt down and took the dead Asari's omnitool. 

"Anything good over there?" John asked. 

"Raid schedules that won't be completed and a list of auctions. Sending that to Alliance command and the Council. It's going down in Council space and there are humans for sale, looks like they're going to be working together to stop some of those.” Jane stated before blinking. "Now this is interesting. Apparently our slaver here is Dahlia Dantius, sister to a Nassana Dantius, a diplomat on the Citadel." 

"We have more slaver information up here.” Garrus called down from the second floor. 

"Send it to the right sources.” John responded. "So what do we know about Dahlia." 

"Apparently, she's been making some spending money blackmailing her older sister by threatening to reveal her own existence and ruining her sister's career.” Jane stated, copying the information onto her omnitool. "I don't like politicians who allow slavers to function, even if they were their own family." 

"I was thinking about selling Garrus back to C-Sec.” John chuckled. 

"I heard that.” Garrus called and John laughed. 

"I'd put two into you before you ever got the chance to get into the slave trade.” Jane stated. 

"Good to know it would be quick.” John said.

"I didn't say where I put the two John.” Jane replied as she headed out. 

~*~*~

"That's two strikes.” John sighed as they got back onto the Normandy and began to store their gear. 

"I know.” Jane sighed. "Watch, it's going to be Knossos now."

"Want to skip straight for it then?" John asked and Jane shook her head. 

"No for two reasons, one, it's very, very far away right now and two, if we go there then it will be Sparta.” Jane sighed.

"Come on, let big brother buy you dinner.” John teased. 

"You are only older than me by fourteen minutes.” Jane stated. 

"I'll always be your older brother.” John retorted and Jane sighed. 

"Check your gear, idiot, then shower, I don't want to eat near you when you smell like that. Even Wrex smells less offensive than you.” Jane scolded. 

"I'm feeling insulted.” Wrex stated. 

"You should, shower more often.” Jane stated and Wrex chuckled. 

"Bold female.” he replied as he took a seat to go over his weapons. Jane sat next to him, going over her sniper rifle when Garrus sat across from her. 

"Good job with those barriers.” Kaidan stated as he put his armor away. 

"Thanks, you too.” Jane said with a nod. 

"What eyepiece are you using?" Garrus asked and Jane snorted. 

"I'm not telling you.” she stated and he blinked. "You're competition. Can't give you a shot to have a better kill count." 

"Those are fighting words, Commander.” Garrus growled. 

"Damn straight, let's see what you've got, Turian.” she shot back. 

"Jane, when are you going to be done?" John asked near the elevator and she gave him a look. 

"When I'm done.” she stated.

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 7th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Sparta System

"How are things looking up here, Joker?" Jane asked as she entered the bridge. 

"Everything's green, ma'am.” Joker replied before looking over his shoulder at her. "What are you looking at?" 

"Some Asari writings we found when we dealt with that slaver.” Jane replied as Kaidan moved onto the bridge. 

"The Commander has been trying to translate them.” Kaidan chuckled. 

"I didn't know you read Asari.” Joker stated.

"I don't, I was just trying to figure out what they were. I recognized one of the symbols from an Asari tapestry I used as a curtain in my dorm room.” Jane stated. 

"And you are trying to translate ancient Asari?" Joker asked and Jane smirked. 

"Come on, Joker, we all have our tricks when on ship and out of paperwork. Between me and John our reports are done in no time.” Jane said.

"Because you make sure of it.” Kaidan added with a small grin. Jane blushed slightly as she looked out the window. 

"You have to find something productive to do, I play with things like this. It's a pet project.” she said with a shrug. 

"I hate to see what you do on shore leave.” Joker muttered and Jane laughed. 

"I cook.” she replied. 

"I was worried.” Joker said.

"Whatever I kill during field training.” Jane joked and Joker gave her a look. "I'm kidding but I did take cooking classes for a while." 

"When?" Kaidan asked and Jane thought. 

"Guess it was seven or eight years ago. I was still a grunt, a lot of my squad was biotic hesitant, you'd think we were turians with how nervous they were around me.” Jane said. "I ended up wanting to eat alone, first shore leave I found a learning center. Decided to take cooking classes." 

"Oooh, so can I ask you to make me a sandwich?" Joker asked and Jane gave him a look.

"Of course, you'll never know what I might put in there though. Dextro and levo meat products look so similar sometimes.” she teased and Joker gave her a look. 

"Not funny.” he said and Jane grinned. 

"Depends on who you ask.” Jane stated before noticing something on the radar. "Ground team assemble, we have something planetside on Edolus. Distress call, not T'Soni. I repeat, ground team, we have a distress call, not T'Soni." 

"Jane, you sure?" John's voice came through her omnitool. 

"Yeah, this is an Alliance frequency, I think the doctor would use the Council distress frequency.” Jane said.

"Unless she's one of the bad guys.” Joker muttered. 

"I hear that.” Jane muttered. "Come on Alenko, time for us to suit up." 

"Yes, ma'am.” he said. 

~*~*~

"What do you see?" John asked from the controls as Jane looked out of the hatch through her scope. 

"Don't move yet.” she warned. Her scope saw the remains of a battle, there was a beacon, pulsing under the piss-yellow sky. The men on the ground weren't moving and there were a lot of them. "There is at least one unit of marines there." 

"What's their status?" John asked and Jane rolled her eyes. 

"What do you think? They're dead. John...this looks dangerous.” Jane stated as she slipped into the tank and took the turret. 

"I'll go slow on the approach.” John nodded and Jane watched carefully. They approached slowly and then there was a tremble. 

"Thresher maw!" Jane cried and John stopped. 

"What?" he hissed. 

"You never forget that tremble, he's moving, go!" Jane roared as she spun the gun watching. The tremor increased and she turned in time to see it rise out of the ground like a party favor. It roared and Jane aimed carefully. The blast took it in the side of the head, putting out an eye. The Maw screamed and she shot into the mouth. 

"It's going under, go where it was!" Jane ordered. 

"What?" John cried. 

"Trust me!" Jane snapped and John drove. 

"Are we going to die?" Tali cried as she clung to her seat. 

"Not with the Commanders.” Ash stated as the Maw reared back to spit.

"Turn left, hard!" Jane cried and the Maw missed, taking several more shots. Jane's aiming was flawless and she knew the weak spots now. The Thresher Maw roared before sinking into the ground. 

"This is hardly the way to kill a Thresher Maw.” Wrex muttered. 

"Now is not the time, Wrex!” John snapped as the top hatch popped open. "Jane, what the hell are you doing?" Jane stood up through the hatch and waited. The Maw surfaced and this time she threw a warp right at its face. It roared and began to thrash. She dropped back in, slamming the hatch closed. She lunged for the turret controls and fired again. The Maw roared before it collapsed. 

"That’s right you sorry son of a bitch.” Jane hissed. The ground team was silent for a moment. 

"Now that...is a woman.” Wrex grinned, elbowing Garrus. 

"Jane..." John questioned and she looked at him. 

"Pull up to the site.” she stated and they shared a look before he did. She quickly exited and approached the beacon. The others got out as well and spread out over the area. "The beacon was set up in the middle of a Maw feeding ground...this wasn't an accident." 

"Someone set them up?" John asked and Jane looked at the beacon. "Jane." 

"I can handle a Thresher Maw, John. They are horrible and monstrous, but they're just big animals." 

"Don't make me say it, Jane.” John said and Jane gave him a look. 

"Right now I’m Commander Shepard and I am fine. This was a kill zone. These marines were brought here for a reason.” Jane said. 

"Commanders, I found something.” Garrus cried and Jane walked over. He pointed to something on the marine’s armor. "The insignia on this one wasn’t destroyed by the acid." 

"That's recon division.” Kaidan stated. 

"Isn't that Admiral Kohoku's division?" Jane asked, looking at John and he nodded. 

"After the Blitz, they were some of the first to come in, besides you.” John said. 

"Kohoku will want to know about this.” Jane said. 

"What a waste.” Tali muttered as she shut off the device. "I managed to get some specs from the beacon." 

"No Dr. T'Soni.” Jane sighed. 

"Thank God for small favors.” John muttered.

"We still have the Knossos system.” Jane sighed. "Joker, we're ready for pick up. T'Soni is not on this planet and we have dead marines who need to be recovered." 

"On my way now, Commanders.” Joker replied. 

Jane moved over by Wrex to begin checking her weapons as they waited.

"How are you handling it?" John asked and Jane looked up at him. 

"John...we've talked about this...more than I want to. I am fine. I know they are just big, nasty animals. I don't blame all of them for Akuze...I just don't really want one for a pet.” Jane stated. 

"I mean with those marines.” John said and Jane looked at him. 

"We can't know who did that to them, but we can hope they will be caught and brought to justice.” Jane replied.

"Did you ever wonder if..." John started. 

"John...revenge is a short lived therapy. Even if I kill every Thresher Maw I meet, if I 'avenge' my team. It doesn't bring them back. It doesn't make up for their loss.” Jane said as Wrex moved past them. "I’m managing, you don't have to worry about me." 

"Wrex.” John said, noticing the krogan heading by them.

"Shepard.” Wrex said, nodding at John before turning to Jane. "Shepard." He nodded at Jane before jogging over to check the Maw’s corpse. Jane returned her attention to her brother, reaching out and taking his hand. 

"John, I know how to ask for help. I’m fine.” she said.

"You opened the top of the mako and threw a warp at it.” he said in a deadpan tone. 

"Yeah, to keep it above ground, the warp caused it to thrash, while it thrashed it couldn't go underground. There is a method to my madness.” Jane stated. 

"We krogan use that technique.” Wrex stated and the two Shepards looked at him as he jogged back over. He’d expanded a supply duffle from his belt and had something inside of it. "We don't use tanks, but, not bad for a human." 

"See Wrex doesn't have a problem with my Thresher killing methods.” Jane teased and John rolled his eyes. 

~*~*~

Back on the Normandy John sighed. Jane was doing her best to avoid him which he understood to mean he’d pushed a little too hard. Sometimes she needed her space until she felt comfortable again. John had to admit ever since Akuze he’d been over protective to a fault. He’d even put in twenty-two requests for her to be transferred to his command. It took a personal call from Admiral Hackett to get him to stop harassing the paper pushers.

“A credit chit for your thoughts, Commander?” Garrus asked, coming up to John. John was sitting on a crate in the cargo bay, datapad in his hands as he pretended to observe Ashley teach Tali some basic Alliance hand to hand. It was going well, despite Ashley having to pull her punches a bit to avoid damaging Tali’s suit.

“Just thinking deep thoughts.” John said. Garrus chuckled and sat on a crate next to John’s.

“Little sisters tend to make their older brothers worry.” Garrus said. John smiled at that.

“You sound like someone who has experience with that.” John said and Garrus chuckled again.

“I have a younger sister. I think half the time we were growing up we were playing pranks on the other. I woke up one day to find she had painted my mandibles bright pink.” Garrus explained. “It didn’t go to well with my markings.”

John laughed at that. “Did you get her back?”

“Indeed I did. I hacked her datapad diary to respond to everything she wrote with an Eclor’s moan.” Garrus said and both men laughed. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Tali dance around happily after successfully tossing Ashley over her shoulder with a hip throw.

“Sometimes, when I get letters from the Clarks, I wonder what Jane would be like if slavers hadn’t attacked Mindoir.” John said finally.

“The Clarks?” Garrus inquired. John smiled and handed the datapad in his hand to Garrus.

“We grew up on a farm.” John explained. “When we left home to join the Alliance, we put up the farm for rent. A family moved in not too long after. They get 90% on the proceeds as long as they maintain the property. Our parents left it to both of us, so all the credits earned get put into an account both of us can access. Neither of us can draw more than five thousand credits a month from that account or sell the farm without the other’s approval. We set it up that way to make sure neither of us forgets where we grew up.”

“And how does that make you wonder what your sister would be like?” Garrus asked, handing the datapad back. 

“It was my idea to join the Alliance.” John explained. “Sure Jane would have to gone anyways since the raid made her biotics manifest but I was the one who said we could save others if we went in. She wanted to be a doctor but instead followed her brother into the grinder. I’m reason she has scars, I’m the reason she watched her squad die on Akuze, I’m the reason she woke up screaming for almost a month straight with nightmares, and I’m the reason the Council noticed how good she was too. So they made her a Spectre where she could be sent into hell and might not come back at all if it means the greater good of the galaxy.”

“She could have turned it down if she wanted to, Commander.” Garrus said. “No one held a gun to her head.”

“No, but she also wasn’t asked either. They just told her to ‘step forward’.” John grumbled. “And she followed her brother, again.”

“You should have faith in her abilities, John.” Garrus said after a moment. John chuckled.

“Oh I know she’ll pull through, Garrus. I just don’t want her to have to go through all of this just because of me. She been through enough.” John said and stood up. “Excuse me, I need to write a response to this letter.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 8th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Knossos System

"Commanders, I found her!"

John came stomping up the walkway and stood behind him. "Report."

"There's a mining colony on Therum, Nova Yekaterinburg. I'm picking up unencrypted chatter from the colony. Apparently they discovered a Protean ruin and some experts were called in recently."

"That's it, that's it!" Jane exclaimed happily as she came up behind them.

"You're on duty this time Jane, want this one?" John asked. Jane nodded.

"Alright then. I'll gather the ground team."

~*~*~

"You're driving, baby sister.” John said as the group headed toward the Mako.

"Only by fourteen minutes.” Jane replied. 

"This will be the first time we see how, Commander Jane Shepard drives.” Tali giggled as they all got inside and Jane smirked. 

"Let's just say, some things are genetic.” Jane stated. The ground team all shared a look as Jane strapped into the driver’s seat and John took over the gunner’s seat behind her. Everyone else took their usual spots as they strapped in. It didn’t bode well when Jane Shepard snapped off the Mako’s VI as it chirped safety warnings at her. 

"Not again.” Kaidan muttered his barrier flaring to life after he strapped in.

"Our father who art..." Ash began to pray. 

“Spirits give me strength to survive this mission and….” Garrus began, adding his prayers to Ash’s. Tali gave a little whimper and strapped herself in with the five point harness before activating her kinetic shields.

"I'm not that bad.” John muttered. 

"Don't worry, I'm better than him.” Jane grinned. 

"That doesn't comfort me.” Wrex muttered but he was smiling happily at the prospect of seeing more enemies bounce off the hood of the mako.

"It shouldn't.” John grinned. 

~*~*~

"Commanders, I'm picking up some strange readings.” Joker stated as the Mako skidded to halt after drop. Jane looked at John and he nodded. 

"Define strange." John ordered.

"Really strange, like off the damn charts. It looks like it's coming from an under complex a few clicks from the drop zone.” Joker replied. 

"Thanks Joker, we'll start there." John replied and turned off the comm.

"Is anyone else worried that we're in a Mako on a planet covered with lava?" Garrus asked. "Just me?"

"Don't worry, it's a dry heat." Kaidan said as the Mako began moving forward.

"Hold on, we've got company.” Jane growled as a massive ship flew in overhead. Two large Armatures landed in front of the Mako. "John." 

"The guns are off safety and loaded.” he replied.

"I'm going to drive right into the one on the right.” Jane stated. 

"What?" Kaidan cried. 

"Their legs look like a weakness and Garrus just pointed out, there is a lot of lava around.” Jane stated. 

"Holy Mother of God!" Ash cried. 

"Keelah!" Tali whimpered. Jane revved the engine and aimed at the nearest Armature. 

"Got the second one.” John called and Jane hit the Armature, making it tumble onto its side. The Mako’s canon roared and the second Armature rocked back. The guns opened up shortly after as the canon cycled.

"Backing up to make a second strike.” Jane stated. 

"If only you were a krogan, woman.” Wrex purred. 

"I want to switch seats next mission.” Garrus stated from his seat behind the driver and the left of the gunner as he gave Wrex an uncomfortable glare. 

"Going forward.” Jane called. 

"I'm ready.” John replied and Jane floored it, knocking her Armature into a lava flow. The second one exploded under John's heavy weapons fire. "Mine is down." 

"They melt surprisingly fast.” Jane replied as she began to drive the Mako. 

"Not bad.” John nodded. 

~*~*~

"Oh what fresh hell is this?" Jane muttered, the Mako skidding to a halt as they came upon a base with two Geth turrets in front of it.

"There on the right!" John pointed, where a little path was carved into the rock.

"On it." Jane said, giving the Mako gas, making it rush into the path of another Geth turret. "Oh son of bitch!"

"I got it, there's only one this time." John replied. The canon fired and the turret's shield visibly weakened. After a few minutes of gun fire the turret was shredded. They made their way into the complex and Jane growled when she noticed that the gate on the other side was closed too.

"Give me a minute and I'll get it open." John said opening the hatch to climb out.

~*~*~

"That is too narrow for the Mako to get through.” Ash sighed. "I guess we're hoofing it." 

"I can get it to fit.” Jane stated as she carefully pressed the nose of the Mako to the stone barrier. 

"Ten credits you flip it.” John teased. 

"Three rounds at the bar says I don't.” Jane shot back as she reversed almost to the lava. "Buckle up everyone...just in case I lose." There was a quick shuffle as additional straps were locked into place. Jane revved the engine and rammed the stone barrier. She turned the steering and the Mako rocked onto its side. 

"You lose, baby sister.” John chuckled until the engine revved again. 

"I do my best work, when in a tight spot.” Jane replied and the Mako slid on its side through the rock barrier, hitting another rock and bouncing back onto its wheels. "And it is only fourteen minutes." 

"I can't believe that worked.” Tali muttered. 

"Impressive.” Garrus rumbled and Wrex laughed. 

"Who was buying that round at the bar and was it for everyone?" Ash asked and Jane smirked. 

"Everyone that didn't doubt me gets one.” Jane grinned. 

“Yeah, yeah put it on my tab.” John muttered.

~*~*~

Jane got out of the Mako and looked at the others checking geth units.

"Well, that seemed unfair.” Garrus muttered as he looked at the digits on the sniper model and Jane noticed the ridges, like some amphibians and lizards could have to help them climb. 

"Whoever said we had to play fair?" John asked, checking the surrounding area. "Saren sent geth, we brought a tank."

"Tank always wins." Wrex rumbled.

"You up for some recon?" John asked his sister and Jane smirked. 

"When am I not up for some scoping out the situation?" she asked and he nodded. "Garrus, Ash. You two are with me. Sniper rifles, we go in quiet, stay low." 

"Commander.” Ash said and Garrus gave a nod as the three pulled their sniper rifles up and to the ready. 

"Hand signals always, one, two, three advancing pattern.” Jane said before looking at John. "Stay in the doorway, if you hear gunfire wait for our signal." 

"What if you don't signal?" Tali asked. 

"Retreat to the tank.” Ash stated and the quarian gave them a look as they opened the door. 

"Be careful.” Kaidan said and Jane smirked at him before she dropped into a crouch and began to move silently down the tunnel, the door closed behind the other two. 

She held up a fist and pulled up her scope. She looked through the tunnel, something was moving. She slipped forward and took aim, she didn't have a kill shot but held her position. She indicated that she saw an enemy and that she wanted Garrus to move up. He did perfectly. He signaled that he had two enemies. Jane gave Ash a look. Ash flanked Garrus and Jane moved slowly forward. They were geth. She saw two for sure. She pressed on Garrus' shoulder and nodded, they would take on the white one while she took the other one. Three shots hissed and the geth dropped. Jane quickly moved forward as a third unit appeared in the entrance of the tunnel. She hit it with a warp and it dropped. She pressed her rifle against it and began to fire. Ash and Garrus were quick to make sure the coast was clear. 

Jane knocked into the tube's wall three times. The door at the end opened up and the rest of the team moved into the tunnel and headed down. 

"Easy clean up?" John asked and Jane nodded as she switched her sniper rifle for a pistol as the group began to move down the catwalks. 

"Impressive ruin.” Jane muttered. 

"It's massive.” Tali said. 

"Lots of hiding spots.” Wrex added. 

"Keep your eyes peeled, Tali, you have the advantage against geth so I’ll take point, you stay right on my six.” John said and Tali nodded as they moved toward the end of the platform. Two geth drones popped up and Tali quickly waved her omnitool at them, just in time for John and Jane to each shoot one. The drones dropped. 

"We should take the elevator.” Jane said, looking over the railing. 

"This is going to be packed.” Wrex said in irritably and Ash gave him a look. 

"Back up is always a good thing.” Jane said as she punched the down button. "This is as big as the Mars ruins...if not bigger." 

"Priorities.” John teased and Jane rolled her eyes before the elevator screeched to a halt far from the ground. 

"Looks like we get out early.” Jane sighed as she opened the door and looked around. She jumped and caught a metal support, swinging up onto it. 

"Show off.” John chuckled. 

"You're just jealous I move like a gymnast and you have the flexibility of a krogan.” Jane shot back as she pulled her rifle and stood to cover the group. "I can see the bottom of the elevator and the surrounding area. Looks like five geth walking around...apparently they didn't notice that." 

"They recognize the sounds of the machinery here.” Tali stated as she followed John out of the elevator. Jane swung down and walked with them until they found the asari floating behind the force field. Jane and John looked at each other. 

"You're the girl, you comfort her.” John teased and Jane rolled her eyes as she approached the force field. 

"Can you hear me out there? I am trapped. I need help!" the asari cried and Jane noticed she was in some sort of field, floating above the ground. 

"Are you okay, Dr. T'Soni? What happened to you?" she asked making sure this was Liara, pressing her hand to the force field. More solid than her best barrier. 

"Listen. This thing I am in is a Prothean security device. I cannot move, so I need you to get me out of it. All right?" Liara said and Jane nodded. 

"We just need to figure some way past this energy field.” Jane said. 

"It's a Prothean barrier curtain, I knew it would keep me safe from the geth. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't supposed to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out. Please.” Liara stated. 

"We'll find some way to help you.” Jane said as she looked at the others and made the 'head out' hand sign. 

"There is a control in here that should deactivate this thing. You'll have to find some way past the barrier curtain. That's the tricky part. The defenses cannot be shut off from the outside. I don't know how you'll get in here. Be careful. There is a krogan with the geth. They have been trying different ways to get past the barrier.” Liara warned and Jane nodded.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon.” Jane said before she followed the others. 

"I got a lock, one sniper model.” Garrus stated from where he was crouched on the stairs. 

"Ash, find another target, once I'm in position and give the sign, we strike, then the rest of the team rushes the remaining geth.” Jane said. 

"Couldn't we be in danger?" Tali asked. 

"We are always in danger.” Wrex said. "Snipers gain attention fast, even for machines. They shoot, the geth look at the snipers, we run out, they move to us. The snipers will be moving onto another target, the geth won't know what hit them.” Wrex laughed. 

~*~*~

"Spread out, look for some way to get that shield down or to get around it." John said. The others began to move off when Jane saw them.

"Those Geth are back!"

John ducked behind a rock as the Geth Jane mentioned from before began to open fire.

"Screw this." John mumbled. He saw Wrex nearby. "Wrex, yank those tins can forward, everyone else, open fire!"

Wrex made a sweeping gesture and got three of the Geth sending the hurtling forward. One came flying at John who just raised his shotgun and blasted the helpless machine in the head. Jane dropped the Sniper in the far back as Tali and Garrus overloaded the shields of the others as Ashley opened fire. And John was surprised to see Kaidan use a throw on the last floating Geth's feet. Caught between Wrex's pull and Kaidan's throw, the geth was literally torn in half.

"Nice." Jane said as they all regrouped.

"Alright keep looking. Ash, Garrus keep an eye out for more Geth." John said. They all nodded and moved about. Jane was examining the front of a drilling laser.

"Hmmm, from the way this is oriented, we could cut right threw the rock below the doctor if we could unlock it's panel." she mused, John shrugged and began to randomly hit buttons on the control panel.

"It's a four digit combination, can't be too hard to fi-" he was cut off as the drill blared to life. Jane let out a blood curdling scream of fear narrowly jumping out of the way.

"You almost killed me!" she exclaimed in shock.

"I didn't mean to!"

"Your own flesh and blood!"

"Oh come one you shouldn't have been standing right in front of it!"

"Uh Commanders?"

"WHAT?" The Shepards snapped in unison, turning angry glares to poor Tali.

"T-t-that worked." she stammered, point. Both Shepards huffed but headed for the newly carved tunnel.

"They can be so scary." Tali whimpered to Garrus. Garrus sighed and patted the Quarian on the shoulder.

~*~*~

"I am not forgiving you for nearly hitting me.” Jane hissed as the elevator moved up.

"It was an honest mistake.” John mumbled. 

"Not funny.” Jane hissed as they reached the floor with Liara. 

"How...how did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier!" she cried. 

"Creative use of a mining laser got us in.” John stated ignoring a glare from Jane. 

"We have to get you out of here before more geth arrive.” Jane stated as she moved towards the control panel next to the asari. 

"Yes, you're right. I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime. That button should shut down my containment field.” Lieara cried. 

"Hold on, Commander. Her mother's working with Saren. Can we trust her?" Ash asked and Jane paused for a moment. 

"I am not my mother! I don't even...I don't know why Benezia joined Saren. I don't want anything to do with that turian bastard!" Liara cried and Jane shook her head at Ash.

"If she was with Saren, the geth wouldn't be trying to kill her.” Jane said as she brought up the control panel and shut it off. 

"Oof!" Liara huffed as she landed. 

"Any idea how we get out of this place?" Wrex asked and Liara nodded.

"There is an elevator back in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on!" Liara said. The group moved to the center of the tower and Liara moved next to Jane. "I...I still cannot believe all this. Why would the geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?" 

"Saren's looking for the Conduit. Think fast, Ms. Prothean Expert.” Ash stated in a snide tone and Jane gave her a look.

"The Conduit? But I don't know..." Liara started to say as loud noises began around the tower. 

"That doesn't sound good.” Garrus stated and Jane winced. 

"These ruins aren't stable. That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event.” Liara theorized. "We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in!" She worked at a console and Jane looked at John before hitting her comm.

"Joker! Get the Normandy airborne and lock in on my signal. On the double, mister!" she barked.

"Aye, aye, Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes.” Joker's voice called over the comm.

"If I die here, I'll kill him.” Wrex grunted and Jane smirked. 

"You'll have to beat me to him.” she shot back and Wrex chuckled. 

"It's going to be close.” Kaidan muttered and John nodded. 

~*~*~

"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun.” The krogan snarled.

"In case you didn't notice, this place is falling apart." John snapped. “We don’t have time for this!”

"Exhilarating, isn't it?” The krogan said, laughing. “Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Hand the doctor over.” 

"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me.” Liara snarked from behind the siblings.

"She'll stay with us, thanks.” John snapped.

"Not an option. Saren wants her. And he always gets what he wants.” The krogan growled. “Kill them. Spare the asari if you can. If not, doesn't matter.” 

The geth and the battlemaster opened fire. Everyone dove for cover and John grabbed Dr. T'Soni and yanked her behind some equipment with him.

"If I get that son of a bitch air born, can we kill him?" Jane asked and Wrex chuckled. 

"Get him belly down and we all hit him with what we've got...yeah.” Wrex smiled. 

"Moving!" Jane called. 

"Jane! That's a full grown krogan!" John cried as Jane quickly sprinted across the platform from the krogan. 

"Hey! You asari loving poet!" Jane cried and the krogan battlemaster stared at her. 

"What did you call me?" he growled. 

"You heard me. You think you're a bad ass, I've seen better shooting from Salarians!" Jane called, ready to put up a barrier. 

"Commander!" Kaidan cried and the battlemaster roared. 

"I will rip you limb from limb!" he snarled as he rushed her. Jane focused hard and pulled him up into the air. She held him up, forcing her biotics around him. 

"Now!" John roared as he rushed out of cover. The group quickly began shooting into the gaps in the armor, exposed with the krogan midair. 

"Stupid pyjak, you should have known the woman was baiting you.” Wrex chuckled before sending several rounds into the battlemaster's skull. Jane dropped him. 

"Is he dead?" Kaidan asked. 

"I'm not checking for a pulse.” Garrus snorted as there was another tremor. 

"Time to go!" Jane roared. "Move! Move!" She and John locked eyes, before they began to run. The barrier dropped and they quickly ran through the tunnel as rocks began to fall. "Kaidan, Wrex, push as much of the debris out of the way as you run!" Jane ordered. Biotics lit up, throwing massive boulders to the side as the group ran. 

"Jane, watch yourself!" John called. 

"Move! Move! Move!" Jane shot back. They reached the tunnel and began to sprint out of the ruin. Smoke blew out of the entrance as they escaped and Jane and John shared a look as the Normandy approached. 

~*~*~

“Jane, Garrus and Wrex, you guys retrieve the Mako. Everyone else, surround and protect Dr. T'Soni until we get her onboard.” John ordered. 

“Sounds good to me.” Jane muttered. She rubbed at her eyes as she led Garrus and Wrex to the Mako. John knew the signs well. Jane was starting to feel the stress of her biotics. He glanced at Kaidan and noticed the other Alliance Biotic was rubbing his forehead. As the Normandy’s loading ramp began to lower John and the others formed a defensive ring around Dr. T'Soni. John made sure he was near Ashley.

“When we get inside ask Dr. Chakwas for two pain killers for biotics, one for Jane and one for Kaidan.” He said to the Chief softly. Ashley shot him a puzzled look. “Both of them over did it with the biotics. I know I saw both of them move some of rocks that were falling around us.”

“Will they be okay, Skipper?” Ashley asked. John nodded.

“They’ll be fine, humans just don’t have the high biotic tolerance like Krogan and Asari.” John explained. “Jane’s been through this before but if I try to give it to her she’ll just blow me off. Better if a concerned squad mate did instead of a big brother.” Ashley shot him a grin.

“Aye aye, sir.” Ashley said, giving him a mock salute. John rolled his eyes but returned it with a smile. They headed up the ramp and stopped by their lockers to stow their gear. John moved closer to Dr. T'Soni.

“Dr. T'Soni if you let us know where your camp site was in relation to the dig site, we can stop by the get your things.” John offered. Liara blinked and seemed to fidget for a bit.

“Ah…thank you but I usually camp in the dig site itself.” Liara explained timidly. John stood there and blinked as what she said sank it.

“Which means your personal effects are now buried under several tons of rock and debris.” John muttered. “Wonderful.”

“I’m sorry b-” Liara began but John just waved her off.

“No need for apologies, ma’am. I didn’t expect the ruins to come down like that. Do you have any medical needs or medications we need to get?” 

“Oh no, no, no. I’ll be fine.” Liara assured him. “Asari can use anything made for humans. We have similar builds to the females of your species.”

“Very well then, Dr. T'Soni. How about I show you around, get you assigned to a sleeper pod and check to see which crew members have similar builds so we can get you some clean clothes.” John said, gesturing to the elevator in the back. 

“That would be great, thank you Commander.” Liara said as they began to walk to the back. “And you can call me Liara. I never really liked the title of doctor that came with my PhD. I’ve always thought that title should apply to those in the medical field.”

“I can understand the sentiment and can call me John. My sister also holds the rank of Commander and it might get confusing between the two of us.” John said as the elevator came down. Liara laughed as they got onboard, and John hit the button to take them up. 

“After we have the after mission debriefing, I think we’ll be setting course back to the Citadel. I’m going to want to have the Normandy looked over since she had to land so close the dig site as it collapsed.” John explained after a moment of silence. “When we go ashore I’d like to transfer some funds to a credit chit for you to purchase your own supplies.”

“Oh no Commander, you don’t need to do that.” Liara exclaimed. John was surprised to note that a darkish tint came to Liara’s cheeks. 

‘It looks like Asari blush just like humans do. She’s cute when she does that.’ John thought.

“I don’t have to but I want to. It was during the course of our mission that your things were destroyed.” John explained. The elevator finally came to stop and the door slid down.

“This is the mess hall here, and just past it are the sleeper pods.” John pointed out. “On the right is the medbay run by Dr. Chakwas. On the left are the quarters I share with my sister.”

“Thank you Commander. Now I do believe you said something about some clean clothes. Would it be possible to get a hot shower too?

“Let's check with Dr. Chakwas, you look about her size. I’ll have her show you where the showers are after that. We can finish the tour after the mission debrief.”

~*~*~

"Too close, Commander, ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulfur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference.” Joker stated snidely through the comm as Jane stood near the front of the room as the group took their seats. John showed Liara where she could sit before leaning against the holo projectors by his sister. 

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" Liara huffed. 

"Joker pulled our asses out of there. I think he's earned the right to a few bad jokes.” John chuckled and Jane smirked. 

"Really, really bad jokes.” Jane added and Joker's comm shut off with a loud squelch. She smirked. 

"I see. It must be a human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species, Commander.” Liara said to John before looking at Jane. "But I am grateful to you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those geth would have killed me. Or dragged me off to Saren." 

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit?" Kaidan asked and Liara shook her head. 

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them.” Liara said. 

"I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared.” Jane muttered. 

"You mean the vision?" John asked and she nodded. 

"With all due respect, Commander, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind.” Liara stated. "It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them." 

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" Jane asked. 

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory. But I know I am right!" Liara said. "The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and vioently cast down. Only ruins survive."

"You should tell her about your vision.” John whispered as Liara made eye contact with each of the team members. 

"No.” Jane hissed.

"The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them.” Liara continued. "And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." 

"They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers.” John said and Jane elbowed him. 

"Stop.” she hissed. 

"The...the Reapers? But I have never heard of...How do you know this? What evidence do you have?" Liara asked as John shoved Jane in front of him. 

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my little sister's brain.” John said and Jane blushed as she pulled away. 

"By fourteen minutes!" she hissed at John before looking at Liara. "I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." 

"Visions? Yes...that makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly into the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. No wonder the geth attacked Eden Prime. The chance to acquire a working beacon...even a badly damaged one is worth almost any risk.” Liara said excitedly. "But the beacons were only programmed to interact with Prothean physiology. Whatever information you received would have been confused, unclear." 

"See, she knows.” John grinned at Jane who gave him a look. 

"I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander.” Liara stated and Jane nodded. 

"This isn't helping us find Saren. Or the Conduit.” Ash growled. 

"Of course. You are right. I am sorry. My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately, I do not have any information that could help you find the Conduit. Or Saren.” Liara explained. 

"I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture. But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along.” John said and Jane nodded. 

"Thank you, Commander. Saren might come after me again. I cannot think of anywhere safer than here on your ship. And my knowledge of the Protheans might be useful later on.” Liara stated. 

"And her biotics will come in handy when the fighting starts.” Wrex chuckled and Jane gave him a look. "After yours of course, Commander." 

"Watch your tone, Krogan, I helped kill one of you today.” Jane warned and Wrex chuckled. 

"Good to have you on the team, Liara.” John said with a smile.

"Thank you, Commander. I am very gratef- whoa.” Liara gasped, swaying a bit. She raised a hand to her forehead. “ I am afraid I am feeling a bit light-headed.”

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you.” Kaidan said and Liara shook her head. 

"It is probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need some time to process all this.” Liara sighed and Jane smirked.

"Tell me about it.” she muttered. 

"Still, it could not hurt to be examined by a medical professional. It will give me the chance to think things over. Are we finished here, Commanders?" Liara asked. 

"We can talk again after you've seen the doctor.” John said smiling softly at Liara and Jane hid a smirk. 

"The rest of you...dismissed.” Jane ordered. The group began to leave and she stared at her brother. 

"What?" John asked after the door closed. 

"I saw that." Jane stated as she began to key in the code to speak to the Council. "Joker, status." 

"What look?" John asked and Jane smirked more. 

"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker asked. 

"Patch them through, Joker. You were giving her the Shepard Baby Blues Look.” Jane teased and John snorted. 

"I was not.” he stated. 

"Were too.” Jane shot back. 

"Don't make me pull rank.” John threatened. 

"Equal Spectres and equal ranks.” Jane shot back. 

"I'm older.” he huffed. 

"Setting up the link now.” Joker interrupted.

"By fourteen minutes. Now act like a man, the Council is waiting to hear from us.” Jane stated as they stood up and John tousled her hair before the hologram activated. 

"We've received your report, Commanders. I understand Dr. T'Soni is on the Normandy." Councilor Tevos said.

"I assume you're taking the necessary security precautions?" Councilor Sparatus demanded.

"Liara's on our side. The geth were trying to kill her." Jane retorted, frowning.

"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter." Councilor Tevos said.

"Maybe she doesn't know." Councilor Valern chimed in. 

"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she would become a traitor." Councilor Sparatus grumbled.

“I spoke with her a bit as we were getting underway.” John spoke up. “I asked her if she had any supplies she wanted to retrieve and she indicated that they were all destroyed during the ruin’s collapse. If this was all staged for our benefit she would have some supplies stashed somewhere if for no other reason than to smuggle tracking and listening devices onboard. She literally came on board carrying nothing but the clothes on her back.”

"Hmmmm well at least the mission was a success." Councilor Valern said.

"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary, Shepard?" Councilor Sparatus demanded.

"The geth were crawling all over those ruins. We were lucky to make it out alive." Jane replied.

"Of course, Commander. The mission must always take priority." Councilor Valern said.

"Good luck, Commanders. Remember, we're all counting on you." Councilor Tevos said. The transmission cut off shortly thereafter and Jane sighed.

“No pressure then.” Jane snarked and John laughed.

“I’m going to check on Liara. Why don’t you check in with Joker and see if the Normandy has sustained any damage at all? I’d still like to get back to the Citadel and have our engineers give her a once over just to be safe.” John said. Jane nodded and watched her brother go. She smiled and shook her head as he left the comm room.

“Since when have you been into Asari, John?” Jane murmured to herself. 

~*~*~

Jane moved to the bridge at an easy pace.

"I prefer gold to silver. You know, for my medal. I figured you'd recommend me for one since I pulled your, uh, boots out of the fire.” Joker stated as he looked up at Jane's chest and then quickly back down at his console. 

"If we present you with a medal, you'll end up sitting on stage listening to politicians make speeches for a couple hours.” Jane teased. 

"That's a good point. They'd probably make me shave, too. I spent the last seven weeks working on this baby. No medal's worth that.” Joker sighed, stroking his facial hair and Jane chuckled. 

"Let's just start heading back, we did good today, but we didn't do much to stop Saren.” Jane sighed. 

"Tomorrow will be better.” Joker stated and Jane smiled. 

"Surprisingly optimistic of you, Joker.” Jane teased and Joker snorted. 

"I just saved some ass, I get to be in a good mood.” Joker stated. 

~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle's AN: Just a reminder to people who might want to call us on the missions and tricks, especially the trick with the Mako. It is a fairly well known cheat to ram the Mako on its side through the rock path. Also this mission is fairly difficult in game as the first mission because your XP is low. However, remember that if you do side quests first (I highly recommend clearing out the Citadel quests right after you make Spectre) and hitting a few of the planets before hitting Therum. 
> 
> Toby's A/N:With two Shepards and us taking the whole crew that the missions may play out differently. Now that we're into the guts of the game the divergence from the canon story line is going to start. Please review, we're more than willing to correct any mistakes we make, typos, and Mass Effect wise. We use the Mass Effect wiki but we can't catch everything. Plus feedback helps us improve the story and our skills as writers.


	4. On Call for Hacket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are faced with errands from Admiral Hackett, just your usual espionage probe nuclear payload about to blow and biotic cultists killing Alliance representatives. There are also derelict freighters to investigate while still time to get to the Citadel to do some good before back into space. Jane has John in her crosshairs as sometimes it is not wise to mess with your younger twin when she's trained on a sniper rifle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: June 9th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, between systems in the Artemis Tau Cluster

~*~*~

"You look tired, Commander,” Joker said and Jane nodded.

"Long day,” she sighed.

"Well at least you got Dr. T'Soni,” Joker pointed out and Jane smiled. 

"You have a point there, Joker,” she said. "We at least saved the good doctor." The console beeped and Joker blinked as he looked at the message. 

"Incoming signal from Fifth Fleet HQ on the Citadel,” Joker said.

"That's Admiral Hackett,” Jane stated as she leaned over to look at the screen. "Put it through." 

"Commander Shepard,” Hackett's voice called out and Jane smiled. John had Anderson as his mentor, if Jane had anyone, it was Hackett. 

"Admiral.” Jane said. 

"Something uncomfortable has just come up,” Hackett said and Jane noticed the tone of his voice. He was relieved it was her, but at the same time, not happy about something. "In the First Contact War, we fired a lot of espionage probes into Turian space. We've just received a 'mission complete' burst from one of them." Jane blinked, a probe shouldn't have just put out that burst.

"Where's it been in the meantime?" she asked. 

"No idea. Lost in transit. These probes were built in a hurry after first contact,” Hackett stated and Jane got a bad feeling. Something wasn't right with this mission. 

"What makes this uncomfortable?" she asked. 

"When these probes were launched, we didn't have any idea who we were fighting. We didn't want to risk aliens examining our technology,” Hackett explained and Jane nodded as she realized the truth. "The probe has a demo nuke built in. A twenty kiloton tactical fusion warhead. About equal to the bomb dropped on Hiroshima back in the Twentieth. If somebody finds that probe, tampers with it...you don't need me to finish, Commander." 

"I understand how this must be handled, Admiral, but I don't have anyone trained to deal with this sort of thing,” Jane confessed, giving Joker a look. The pilot was clearly listening and realizing the same thing she was. Nuclear warhead with untrained personnel trying to disarm it, not the best mission to be on. 

"That's why I'm sending you a special crash course on how to neutralize it,” Hackett stated and Jane nodded to herself. 

"We've got the coordinates, Commander,” Joker said and Jane nodded again. 

"Uploading the disarming procedure onto my Omni tool, we should get there by tomorrow, Admiral,” Jane said.

"Try to keep this under wraps, Shepard,” Hackett said and Jane nodded. 

"Sniper, sir, I know how to keep quiet,” she replied. 

"Hackett out.” Hackett stated. 

"Can I just say, are you freaking kidding me? A nuclea-" Joker stopped with the hand over his mouth. 

"Top secret, Joker, which means you don't say a word. Let me break this to my brother and the ground team,” Jane said and Joker gave her a look as she removed her hand. 

"So you know, I was saving some of my lunch in my facial hair,” he huffed. 

"I noticed.” she chuckled wiping her hand off on her pant leg. 

"So...how is the other Commander going to like this mission?" Joker asked and Jane smirked as she turned around.

"If I know my brother, he is just going to blow up over it,” she stated as she walked off to see if said brother was still awake. 

"Ha...ha..." Joker deadpanned. 

~*~*~

“When you lean into the punch too much, you open up your side, see here?” Ash explained. John had adopted an extended stance and was holding himself in mid-punch, purposely over-extended as Tali and Lira watched.

“What do you mean open? It’s just John’s side,” Liara said, puzzled. Ash shot John a look as the elevator began to hum in response to a call from the upper floor.

“Do you mind Skipper?” Ash asked and John shook his head. He let his stance fall and moved back into a ready position. There were training mats on the floor of the cargo bay. Ashley had found out that Liara hadn’t much hand-to-hand training either and roped Liara into her training sessions with Tali. Today she had asked John to be their training dummy as it were. He didn’t mind, he’d done it enough times during basic and his various N grade training evaluations. He padded barefoot on the training mats to a corner.

“Watch when the Commander comes at me. He’s going to purposely over extended himself so you can see,” Ashley explained to the watching Asari and Quarian. Garrus and Wrex were watching from on top of the Mako. Wrex was eating a large bag of popcorn he had gotten from somewhere.

“Ready Ash?” John asked. Ash turned to face him and shifted into a ready stance.

“Hit me, sir.” Ash replied and John charged. Ashley brushed aside the jab he made with his left fist and as John swung a huge right cross she caught his wrist. He expected to feel a sharp pain in his ribs but Ashley stopped.

“Come over here and take a closer look. Because the Commander overshot, I have his wrist caught in mine,” Ashley explained, as the other two females came closer. As they approached, John turned to watch. He was distracted when he felt the knuckles of Ashley’s free hand lightly tap his ribs in the right side. “You see his side is wide open. If you can catch some one’s wrist like this a good shot to any species rib cage will hurt. Granted it’s more effective on Asari, Humans and Turians versus Krogan and Quarians but a well-placed punch could knock the air out of their lungs.”

“Don’t forget the other grip, Gunnery Chief,” John reminded her. Ashley blinked and nodded.

“Do you mind Commander?” She asked as the elevator door slid open.

“I’ll hold position here, Chief,” John agreed. Ashley let go of his wrist, this time to grip it with her other hand. 

“See if I had grabbed this way with my other hand, it allows me to punch upward into his jaw. Not very effect on Krogan but, and you need to pay special attention to this one Tali, it leaves a human’s nose vulnerable to being broken, same for Quarians and Asari, and Turians could end up with a broken mandible. For Quarians it would be a kill shot if your shields are down and they break your visor,” Ash explained.

“The rib shot is also a good place to plant a biotic throw,” Jane’s voice came from the elevator. Everyone turned to see the female Commander watching with a pleased look on her face, her arms crossed under her breasts.

“I didn’t know that Commander,” Ashley said, letting go of John who eased out of the stance he’d been holding.

“It is an Asari commando trick, it’s not widely known outside of biotic circles. The non-Asari crowd are of the mind of biotic personnel covering from behind like snipers do, laying down warp, stasis and singularity fields,” Jane said. 

“Liara might benefit from some one-on-one training with you then,” John pointed out. Jane raised an eyebrow.

“How’s that?”

“We have schools on Thessia for channeling out Biotics but most of the how to use it is left up to our discretion. I have some basic weapons training but not much else,” Liara explained.

“So that’s how you got roped into Ash’s Normandy boot camp,” Jane mused and Ashley snorted while Tali giggled.

“It’s been very helpful Commander,” Tali explained. 

“Well why not? I'll get with you later then Liara. John a mission has come up,” Jane explained.

“Anything immediate?” he asked. Jane shook her head.

“We’re still about a day out, but I wanted to brief you solo beforehand. We should be in system about 0600 tomorrow,” She explained. John nodded and turned to the others. 

“Finish up for the day and then get some rack time after your shifts,” He told the others. Jane led the way to their quarters and closed the door after him before locking it.

“What’s up with all the cloak and dagger, sis?” John asked, toweling his sweaty head dry.

“Admiral Hackett contacted me. He needs us to make a detour on route to the Citadel,” Jane explained.

“So what’s the mission? You usually don’t abide by the cloak and dagger,” John asked, digging through his foot locker for a change of clothes.

“I'm a sniper, John, we're first pick for the cloak and dagger whether we want it or not. Back to the mission. In the First Contact War, the Alliance apparently fired some espionage probes into Turian space. The probes had a self-destruct nuke built in. Twenty kilotons.” Jane explained and John froze.

“You’ve got to be shitting me,” John blurted out, turning to face her.

“I wish to God I was,” Jane sighed and John scrubbed at his face.

“A mild incineration charge laid along the circuits would have accomplished that but nooooooo, they had to plant nukes into bombs.” John grumbled.

“They didn't know what technology the Turians had, they wanted to be certain. So you can see where this is going,” Jane said. 

“They lost a probe and now it suddenly reappears, this time in a populated colony,” John reasoned.

“Yes to them finding it, I’m not sure about the colony part yet. We’ve altered course and are heading for it. So far only you, Joker, and I know. The ground team will have to be told,” Jane explained.

“I know we can trust them, even Garrus with this,” John mused. “We just have to pray no one tinkers with it while we’re in route.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 10th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Approaching Agebinium in the Voyager Cluster

"So, what's this mission, Skipper?" Ash asked and John gave Jane a look. She stepped forward and clasped her hands behind her back. 

"This mission is a strictly need to know basis from the Alliance brass, if you think you can't handle keeping your mouths shut about Alliance affairs, there's the door,” Jane stated. It was not a rude manner, just a matter of fact tone. Everyone in the room stayed seated and she smiled. "Thank you. This mission was turned over to my brother and me due to our Spectre status. A dangerous and embarrassing relic from the First Contact War has resurfaced." 

"What kind of artifact?" Kaidan asked and Jane looked at him. 

"One of our espionage probes. It dates from the start of the war before we knew who and what the Turians were. It was built to self-destruct to prevent them from learning anything about our technology,” Jane stated. 

"Oh no.” Ash muttered. 

"That's right, it's nuclear,” John sighed and the four humans shook their heads. 

"Wait...you sent those into space to spy?" Garrus asked and Jane nodded. 

"Most of your ships could detect the nuclear material and most that were send out either completed their missions and returned...or were destroyed by Turian vessels,” Jane stated. "Unfortunately one has managed to send out a 'mission complete' signal. We need to find it and disarm it before any would be treasure hunters find it first." 

"I'm noticing you tend to get pulled into these dangerous situations rather regularly, Shepard,” Garrus stated. Jane and John shared a look. 

"You wouldn't believe the half of it,” John chuckled and Jane smirked. 

"We'll be hitting planet side within an hour, suit up and get to the Mako,” Jane ordered. 

"I guess it will be the feminine Shepard leading us,” Liara muttered. 

"Yeah, I like it when she leads, she's feisty,” Wrex purred and Jane chuckled. 

"Not in a hundred years, Krogan,” she called back.

"I can wait,” Wrex teased. 

"Ew.” John muttered. 

"Xenophobe.” Jane shot to her brother

“I am not!” John shot back. Jane noticed his eyes flickering to a blue skinned beauty as she left the room. 

"Maybe I spoke too soon," Jane allowed.

"Don't start with your big brother,” he warned, giving Jane a light punch in the shoulder. “I don’t ever want anyone to ever think that about me.”

"Only by fourteen minutes you Asari perv,” she whispered. 

~*~*~

“Okay, this feels completely wrong,” John said. The Mako was moving at a steady clip over the red, dusty terrain of Agebinium, zeroing in on the probe’s signal. “This system is on the opposite side of Alliance space from the Turian’s territory. How the hell did it get here?”

Jane got up from her seat to peer over John’s shoulder as he drove, watching the display on his console that had the location of the Alliance homing signal. 

“I’m just glad it showed up on a planet that has very little in the way of people,” Jane said.

“Someone’s here,” John pointed out as they crested a hill. Jane looked up and saw through the window. They were headed straight for a mine. “The signal is coming from there.”

“Shit.”

~*~*~

"Okay...this is a trap,” Ash stated as Jane and Garrus scouted in front through the mine entrance. Jane raised a hand and shot Ash a look. "It is." 

"We know that, Ash,” John whispered as he watched Garrus and Jane make various hand signs to each other before moving into the mine and then signaling the rest of the team to move forward. 

"Garrus and your sister are good at scouting,” Kaidan muttered.

"Snipers tend to get good at that,” John stated as Garrus gave the all clear. Jane was standing near the top of a mine shaft looking very unhappy. "So, should we get the space probe from out of the mine?" 

"I know. It reeks and I don't like bringing the entire team down, but I don't know if I trust separating us right now,” Jane said. 

"Seriously?" John asked and Jane looked at some inactive blasting caps. "Those things are ancient." 

"So is the probe, but explosives have an annoyingly long shelf life,” she replied. 

"I could shield the team,” Liara offered. The Asari was using a spare set of armor that had belong to Jenkins. She had mentioned it was a bit uncomfortable but it would do until she got a set of her own. Jane shook her head, she felt that dark feeling in her gut. 

"No, we move together,” she stated and John opened his mouth. His sister's blue eyes flashed at him and he shut his mouth.

"You've got the lead on this one,” he said and she nodded as she led them down the first mine shaft. So far it was pretty quiet as they swept the mine interior. As they were sweeping the last mine shaft an explosion near the mine entrance rocked the group. Jane grabbed Tali's arm, helping to keep the young Quarian on her feet while John helped keep Liara standing. 

"That didn't sound good,” Wrex muttered. 

"Oh, I'm sure it's fine,” Garrus drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Jane moved toward the massive probe and a hologram popped up. John blinked and Jane's eyes narrowed. 

"Well, well, well, I was hoping to get the Hero of the Blitz but I never thought I would get both Shepards,” the man in the hologram purred and John stared at him. 

"Elanos Haliat.” Jane stated. "Former leader of the one of the largest pirate syndicates in the Terminus Systems."

"I am flattered you know me, Miss Shepard,” the hologram purred and Jane looked at him, memorizing his face with her killing eyes. 

"It's Commander Shepard and I make sure to memorize the faces of all known slavers. Especially humans who sell out their own kind,” Jane replied, her voice as cold as any of the crew had ever heard it. 

"I would be very frightened if you weren't buried under a mountain with a nuclear device,” Elanos chuckled.

"You were the mastermind of the Blitz!” John snarled as he glared at the hologram of the slaver. 

"Yes, I am so glad you remember me, Commander Shepard,” Elanos looked far less amused at John. "I remember you, I haven't forgotten all you cost me those many years ago." 

"You attacked Elysium, it was your own fault you failed,” John smirked. Elanos' face contorted with rage. 

"This is why you are down there now, Shepard...Shepards.... Your improbable victory at Elysium cost me everything! I lost my men, my position, my power, all because of you and your stupid heroism! When I found the probe I knew, I knew the Alliance couldn't let that little piece of history remind the Council why we should be feared,” he hissed. "I knew you would be the first one they chose to come out and pick up this little package. So now I'm going to bury you and your wretched kind here. No one is ever going to know where you are, but I promise, I will come back from time to time to piss on your grave." The hologram flickered away and Jane was already at the probe. 

"Commander!" Tali cried.

"I've got this one, open the next two ports as I initiate the override sequence,” Jane stated. 

"Commander, we don't have much time,” Liara hissed and John placed a hand on Liara's shoulder. 

"Trust her.” he said and Jane was digging into the probe while Tali hacked open the next port. Jane's fingers flew over her Omni tool. The first port went from an active red to a stable blue. She moved to the next as Tali moved to open the last port. 

"Commander,” Kaidan asked worriedly, his biotic flaring slightly.

"Jane's got this.” John said, watching his sister as she deactivated the arming sequence turning the second port back to the inactive state. She moved to the last port. She moved fast and John noticed the single bead of sweat sliding down the back of her neck and he hoped none of the others noticed it. The final port deactivated and the group seemed to let out a collective breath of relief. 

"Spirits, Shepard that was damn impressive,” Garrus stated and Jane leaned against the probe for a moment before hacking it again. 

"What are you doing?" John asked. 

"This thing is never going to cause any problems ever again," she hissed. 

"What are you doing?" Kaidan asked and Jane gave him a look. 

"Once my Omni tool gets to safe distance the probe is going to self-destruct,” Jane stated. 

"Is this deep enough?" John asked, leading the way up the mine shaft as Tali hacked the entrance open.

"Oh yeah, this depth can hold it,” Wrex chuckled. 

"Do I want to know how you know that?" John asked and Jane laughed. 

"No...no you don't,” she stated as Tali hacked the other side tunnel open. "Garrus, Ash, sniper rifles up. We're going to go play tag with our dear friend." Jane pulled her rifle off her shoulder. 

"Jane?" John asked and she smiled at her brother. 

"Fairs fair, John, I recognized him first. He's my target, if I miss, then you can try and berserker your way to him first,” Jane stated as she began to move up the tunnel. 

"I'd watch out for her, Shepard, she's the type we Krogans like best,” Wrex chuckled and John shuddered at the mental picture he just got. 

"You alright, Skipper?" Ash asked. 

"I've been mentally scarred," John groaned as they reached another exit from the mine.

~*~*~

The three snipers were crawling on their bellies to the ridge. Each of them at a different angle. Jane was between Garrus and Ash as they looked down. The Mako was in the middle of a pirate camp. 

"They touched my tank,” John's voice growled over the comms.

"I know, John, don't worry, we're getting ready to make them pay for touching your toys,” Jane whispered. "Garrus, take out that Krogan. Ash, watch that Batarian with the sniper rifle. I see Elanos."

"Second target, Batarian playing with the Mako,” Garrus growled. 

"Awww, I forget, you and John share the Mako, okay,” Jane teased. 

"Second target, the guy with the Explorer armor,” Ash stated. 

"Second target, human playing with the shotgun,” Jane added. 

"Make it quick, Jane,” John grumbled over the comm. 

"I don't do revenge, John, I put down rabid dogs.” Jane stated as she indicated a countdown to Garrus and Ash. They fired at the same time and three heads were suddenly ventilated. The next kill shots were two headshots and a throat shot. A few more mercs showed up but they were quickly taken down. 

"That wasn't even fun,” Wrex huffed. "Whelp barely put up a fight." He kicked at the body of one of the Krogan. 

"It was a perfect Krogan killing shot, it was put in at the perfect angle to ricochet in the skull and go down to take out of the secondary brainstem in the back,” Jane pointed out and Wrex blinked.

"You guys can do that?" he asked and Jane laughed. 

"Hell no, but good to know you're a little gullible there, Wrex,” Jane grinned. 

"My baby!" John cried hugging the Mako. "I think they scratched her." 

"What? Where?" Garrus demanded and the two looked over the tank with vigor. Jane shook her head. 

"How about we get to a minimum safe distance now?" she asked. 

"Could I drive?" Ash asked and Jane gave her a look.

"John loves to drive, let him,” Jane stated as she climbed into the Mako.

"I was afraid she was going to say that,” Ash muttered. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 10th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Exiting the Voyager System

"Commander, we have a slight problem,” Tali said as she approached Jane in the mess. 

"What can I help you with Tali?" Jane asked and Tali sighed. 

"We are almost out of dextro amino food,” she stated and Jane blinked.

"What? I thought we picked up a bunch at the Citadel,” she said and Tali nodded. 

"So did I, but we didn't notice that several of the boxes were only partially filled,” Tali explained. 

"How many meals do we have?" Jane asked and Tali looked at her Omni tool. 

"While it would last an omnivore a week, Quarians are vegetarians and Turians prefer a higher meat based diet,” Tali stated and Jane nodded. "It will only last us about three days." 

"Joker, I need you to take us to Gemini Sigma, we need to hit up the Ming system,” Jane called into her comm. 

"What? Why would we need to go there?" Joker asked.

"Dextro food.” Jane stated. "There's a spaceport near Sur'Kesh that would load us up and be rather generous for two Spectres." 

"I thought we got dextro food on the Citadel,” Joker stated.

"We got sold half-empty boxes,” Jane sighed. 

"Next time we inspect upon delivery of the goods,” Joker muttered. 

"I hear you,” Jane sighed as she turned to Tali. "We should be making it there within two days." 

"Thank you, Commander.” Tali said. 

~*~*~

“John you awake?”

John groaned and buried his head under the pillow.

“Ga ahey!” He mumbled. He’d just gotten to sleep an hour ago. 

“John, we have a problem, wake up!” 

That got his attention. He bolted upright, adrenalin coursing threw him as he sat up.

“What? What happened?” John asked. Jane sighed.

“Well apart from some of our crew members starving, not much,” Jane stated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. John blinked at her.

“What are you on about? Who’s going to starve?” John asked. Jane shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Who did you get the dextro supplies from on the Citadel before we cast off?” Jane asked instead. John stared at her for a moment in confusion before it clicked. He groaned and scrubbed at his face.

“Shit. Ummm….I offered to get them for Tali and Garrus since the Alliance could pick up the tab. I placed the order with Alliance supply and they didn’t have any on dextro supplies on hand so they referred me to Sirta Supplies. I placed a rush order and billed Alliance supply. What happened?” John demanded. Jane sighed.

“Apparently they sold you some half empty boxes and they didn’t balance the food stuffs, right,” Jane explained. John swore under his breath and got out of bed, snatching his pants from the floor and tugging them on over his boxers. 

“I’ll take care of it. Where’s the closest space port that we can resupply at?” John asked.

“I’m one step ahead of you. We’re on route for the Ming system. Sur’Kesh has a resupply station for passing species.”

“Good deal. I’ll place the order soon, but let me call Tali and Garrus. I’m sure they want some input into what we get. Then I’ll deal with Sirta.”

“Alright John, send me a copy of the order when you send it out. That way we both can go through it when we get it.”

“With Tali and Garrus too.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 12th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Entering the Ming System

"Commander, could you report to the bridge?" Joker called as Jane was reviewing the order they had sent to the Sur'Kesh spaceport at the CDC. 

"Why so serious, Joker?" Jane asked as she headed down to see him. 

"We got a vessel on the scans,” he said.

"Position?" she asked as she began to look over his shoulder at the readings. 

"It's drifting, Commander,” Joker said and Jane narrowed her eyes.

"Alliance?" she asked. 

"The MSV Worthington.” he said.

"A freight and passenger vessel.” she read and gave a look to Joker. "Did you ping them?" 

"No answer, Commander.” he said. 

"Life support?" she asked.

"Active...no one's answering the phone,” he said and Jane bit her lip before nodding. 

"I'll call the crew. Doesn't look like she was raided, but something isn't right. Let's see what we find onboard,” Jane stated before she turned and sent off a comm to the team. "Landing party, we have a human vessel drifting with life support active. No one is answering our calls so we are going over to say hello. ETA two hours." 

~*~*~

As the Normandy was moving close to align their docking bay with the MSV Worthington’s, Jane made a sweep over the crew. Everyone was gathered by the docking door just behind Joker. Jane smiled as she saw Garrus in an animated discussion with Kaidan and Ashley. As she passed them by she heard them talking about Turian dreadnought versus an Alliance dreadnought. Rolling her eyes she noticed Wrex waiting impatiently, his right foot making a rhythmic thumping on the deck plate as he tapped it impatiently. Liara stood not too far from him and she smiled serenely at Jane when she passed by. Jane returned the smile with one of her own but focused her attention on the last two. 

John and Tali were standing close together and they were both focused on the display from John’s Omni tool. John pointed to something and Tali nodded rapidly. Curious Jane moved closer to eavesdrop.

“-en they move in formation like this it's called a pincer movement.” John was explaining. “Your forces simultaneously attack both sides of an enemy formation. Its typically used when an entire group rushes headlong into an area. It works best when they’re caught between two high ground positions.” 

“To provide better cover and sightlines,” Tali said. John smiled and nodded at her and Jane got the feeling this had been going on for a while.

“Exactly!”

“I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” Jane asked. John looked at her and shot her that cocky grin of his.

“Nope, just showing Tali some things. She’s got a real knack for things,” John explained. Jane raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. That was John speak for she’s-got-potential-be-a-leader-so-I’m-teaching-her. The Normandy jerked slightly as they finished docking. “Ah good timing. Come on, Tali, let’s take point. I’ll show you how to sweep a room since this should be a cake walk mission.”

Jane watched John lead Tali away. She blinked when she saw the….well, it wasn’t really a look because of Tali’s visor but it was more of the stance. How Tali titled her head to follow Jane's brother, the fidgeting stance she got when John looked at her.

Jane shook her head. Great now she had to deal with a Quarian engineer developing a crush on her brother, who, in typical John fashion, didn’t notice and was making it worse by giving the person crushing on him personal attention. While it was innocent on John's part it could only lead to problems down the road.

~*~*~

The group looked at the maze-like entrance of the hold, there was the sound of footsteps and everyone brought their weapons to the ready. 

"We're not alone,” Ash stated and John nodded. With that, Jane and Garrus began to move through the ship. It was empty and quiet, but there were booby traps. Someone had set up fusion containment cells through the hold. Jane looked at Garrus before indicating he let her move. She used a biotic push to throw the cell she saw into the wall, it ruptured.

"That was a trap, that wasn't put there accidentally,” Kaidan stated and Jane nodded as she began to move through the maze, carefully pushing the cells out of the way, destroying them as she found them. 

"Well, this way to the forward compartments,” she stated as she looked at the corridor. 

"Let's finish sweeping the hold,” John said and Jane nodded as she looked at Kaidan and Wrex. 

"Let's get rid of those nasty little traps,” she ordered as she brought the two with her.

"I could be of help,” Liara stated and Jane nodded as the Asari quickly followed. There was nothing but a few more traps. "Someone is here with us." 

"We know,” Jane sighed. "But they will either come for help or attack on their own time." They looked at the others and Jane shook her head at John before she headed down the corridor, turning into the crew quarters. The crew spread out as John found a log on a nearby console. He activated it.

"They say Jacob's gone. They say his brain isn't functioning anymore, and they want to shut off his machines. But Jacob's the only thing in the world that matters to me. I don't know how to help him and it's tearing me up inside! I just feel so helpless. So damn angry! Dr. Smith gave me some meds to calm down, but I didn't take them. I can't. Not until I figure out a way to help Jacob. I won't give up on him. I won't!" a woman's voice lamented and Jane looked down. Something bad happened if a member of the crew went brain dead. She looked at John and he returned the look. They quickly moved into the cockpit with Ash and Garrus as cover while the others looked through the crew's stuff. There was another log; Jane didn't hesitate to press the button. 

"Jacob is showing no signs of brain activity. There's nothing more we can do for him. He wouldn't want to be kept alive by machines, so we're going to disconnect the life support. Dr. Smith is worried about Julia's reaction, though. She can't seem to let Jacob go. The stress is making her implants flare up, causing intense migraines. It'll probably be easier for everyone if we don't tell her until after we shut the life support down. Give her a chance to-Julia! What are you doing here! What are you-" the voice was stopped, by force. The log went dead and the two Shepards shared another look before the group moved into the Medical bay. Ash closed the door behind the team. 

Jane stepped up to the medical bed and looked at the man. He was being kept alive by various machines. This had to be the mysterious Jacob, his brain dead and his body being kept alive. The only person they had seen so far, but chances were good that Julia had been the footsteps they had heard earlier. The captain was probably dead, but where was the rest of the crew? John pressed the log button. 

"Jacob's not going to make it. His brain was deprived of oxygen for too long. There's nothing any of us can do for him now, except let him die with dignity. Its' what he would want. I'm more worried about Julia now. She's showing signs of severe depression. I gave her some meds that should help, but I'd better warn the captain." The Doctor's voice said in a grim foreshadowing of whatever had happened. 

"Those machines are keeping him alive,” Wrex stated and Jane looked over at John. John turned away and Jane reached out. She began to enter the shutdown command. Slowly the machines stopped and the body in front of them stopped breathing. The door opened and a woman ran in screaming with a gun aimed at John. Jane lifted the woman up with Biotics and took the shot. For a moment Julia was suspended in the air, her eyes open, but vacant, her face still twisted in the expression of grief-stricken rage. 

"Nice shot.” Wrex muttered and Jane looked at the body as it hit the ground. 

"This was over before we ever got here,” John muttered and Jane nodded, holstering her sniper rifle. 

"She killed the crew, to keep his body alive,” Jane said, taking the sheet and covering Jacob's body. She moved over to Julia, she closed the woman's eyes before standing up. "Joker...call this location in to the owners. Let them know that one of the crew got spaced. His lover on board had a psychotic break and looks like she killed the rest of the crew. We put her down but the ship has a full cargo, no passengers." 

"Aye-aye, ma'am,” Joker called and Jane shook her head as she followed John and the rest of the team off the ship. 

~*~*~

“Commander, you alright?” Garrus asked as they opened another box of dextro supplies. Tali was off with her own supplies. The Salarians had been better than their word. When John had placed the order for dextro supplies he had mentioned he had one Turian and one Quarian on board. During the delay with the MSV Worthington, the Salarians had managed supplies meant specifically for Quarians. Tali had squeed, there was no other word for the noise, and had been occupied with those boxes since they got them. Especially when she found the Quarian chocolate.

“Fine,” John grunted, hefting an inspected box and storing it with their other supplies.

“You sure, you’ve been quiet since the mission on the Worthington,” Garrus pointed out. He finished checking the supplies before resealing the box. He moved onto the last one.

“Jane’s got that I want to talk to you air about her,” John explained, grabbing the box Garrus had just resealed. “I know she wants to talk about what happened and I really don’t.”

“Ah.” Garrus said, rummaging through the final box. The two men were silent for a few minutes. 

“It’s just, I know this kind of thing bothers her,” John explained as Garrus closed the final box. John grabbed it to heft it up. “I just don’t like to think about it. I know the risks in space travel. We all do. I just wish Jane wouldn’t dwell on them.”

“Maybe that’s what you should tell her Commander,” Garrus advised, watching Tali scurry away, carrying a suspicious bag filled with what he suspected was the entire supply of chocolate. 

~*~*~

"Jane, what the hell?" John hissed as he stepped out of the private bathroom into the bedroom only to see his sister sitting on the bed. He wanted a quick shower after packing away the dextro supplies. "You're on duty for another hour." 

"Joker knows how to reach me. I wanted to talk about today,” Jane said and John glared.

"I don't want to go there, Jane,” John stated and Jane gave him a hard look. 

"John, we need to talk about it now...we need to know where we stand,” Jane said and he shook his head.

"I'm not going to talk about this,” he stated as he turned around only to be trapped in a stasis. "Biotics are cheating." Jane walked around him and stood in front of him. 

"I'm going to say my peace and that's that, John. I don't want to be a vegetable, a shell, kept alive only by machines. If there's no neural activity, John, I want you to let me go. Whether or not you agree to it, it is what I want,” Jane said and John stared at her as she turned. "I also wouldn't be able to stand you being an empty shell either. If you got hurt...it would break me, but I would let you go if you were brain dead and the only thing keeping you breathing was a machine." 

"Jane..." John whispered and she looked at him over her shoulder. 

"These kinds of discussions pop up now and again, we know that John, I know you don't like discussing them, but we should have these discussions. We don't have any other next of kin but each other. I want you to know that unless you want me keeping your remains around like some human-shaped plant, I would let you go,” she said before dropping the stasis field and heading out of the room. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 14th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, shortly after docking at the Citadel 

“Commanders? I’m Khalisah bint Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. I was wondering if you might have a few minutes to answer some questions for our viewers.” A reporter stated as soon as they stepped off the elevator from the docks. 

"You know who is really good with the press?” Jane said as she moved to the left. "You." Jane quickly began to walk away. John made a choking sound as Jane hurried away.

"That was mean,” Garrus chuckled as he followed Jane.

"Wait for me!" Tali cried, quickly following. Wrex stormed off to C-Sec requisition office with Kaidan following. Ashley quickly stepped away but stayed close by with Liara. The Gunnery Chief wasn’t sure how she had gotten roped into helping the male Commander into helping the Asari shop for supplies. She had to admit though, she was looking forward to it and the humor it promised to provide.

“I guess I can spare a few minutes, Ms. Al-Jilani,” John allowed, a bit annoyed that most of his crew had abandoned him to the press. He guessed brothers-in-arms didn’t extended to facing the press together. He adopted an at-ease stance.

“You and your sister have been given a unique position to represent our race. People want to get sense of how you’ll do that,” Al-Jilani responded and John winced as the camera’s light came on.

“Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for twenty-six years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first human Spectre?”

“I’m honored,” John said. “The Spectres represent the best of every species in the galaxy. I’m happy that my sister and I were chosen to be the first humans to join them.”

“Ah yes your sister,” Al-Jilani nearly purred. “Rumor has it she only achieved her position because of her relation to you.”

“Completely false. Jane Shepard is an example in her own right. She wrote a report known as the Mindoir Review. With it she has helped save several colonies from slaver raids. She also recently finished a training tour, teaching several of our colonies with stationed Alliance personnel how to fend off mercs and slavers. When the Council called upon me to serve the Spectres I was just as surprised as anyone when they also called upon her,” John explained. Al-Jilani scowled but nodded.

“She’s definitely an impressive soldier, Commander,” Al-Jilani allowed. “Word is that the two of you have been given command of an advanced human warship for your missions. Is there anything you’d like to say about it?”

“First, the Normandy is not a warship,” John corrected. “She’s the same as any Alliance vessel, made to protect humanity and her allies. In fact she was co-developed by human and Turian engineers. Its design incorporates many innovations. All of which are classified.”

“So the Turians have knowledge of the Normandy which is being kept secret from the Alliance public? Do you think it was appropriate to hand over to the Citadel Earth’s most advanced warship? Oh I’m sorry, not a warship,” Al-Jilani corrected herself, shooting John a smug look. John clenched his right hand into a fist behind his back, keeping his irritation off his face.

“I wasn’t aware than the Normandy had been handed over to anyone. My sister and I are in command and last time I checked, we were Alliance. So is my crew.”

“Human yes, but you do work for the Citadel now, Commander. And you do have some other personnel on board who are not Alliance. In fact they’re not even human.”

“There are many people on my ship who are involved with my current mission. I can’t go into the details but we are all dedicated to completing the mission. I trust every member with my life, no matter which world they were born on.”

“You really do believe that don’t you Commander?” Al-Jilani mused. John stayed silent as she typed away at her data pad. “Given your recent experiences, do you think humanity will ever get the respect it deserves from the galactic community?”

“Respect is a funny thing. People always assume they deserve it. The truth is, respect is earned and I know humanity can earn it," John said.

"You’re an idealist Commander, but a sincere one. I hope you’re right. One final question. Rumors back home are that you and your sister are tracking a rogue Spectre. Anything you can share with us?”

“I’m sorry but I can neither confirm nor deny what my current mission is. I’m afraid this interview is over if you continue that line of questioning,” John stated flatly, giving her a glare. Al-Jilani smiled sweetly at him as the camera turned off.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find out,” Al-Jilani purred. John’s glare hardened and Al-Jilani took a step back.

“Tread carefully Al-Jilani,” John warned, before whirling around to stomp away. Ashley and Liara hurried to follow.

~*~*~

"What is that Salarian doing to the Keepers?" Garrus muttered and Jane looked over at said Salarian.

"I don't know, but can't you cause them to die or something messing too much with them?" she asked and Garrus nodded.

"We have a strict policy on leaving the Keepers alone,” Garrus stated.

"Then let's see what he's up to,” Jane stated as they moved over to the Salarian. "So...what are you doing?" The Salarian yelped and looked at the three guiltily. 

"Nothing really,” he stammered and Jane smiled. 

"You look rather guilty for not doing anything,” she said and he sighed. 

"I'm trying to study the Keepers,” he stated.

"Citadel law forbids interfering with the Keepers,” Garrus stated and Jane put a hand on his arm. 

"Pull back, Garrus, let's hear him out,” Jane said before looking at the Salarian. "What are you trying to figure out?" The Salarian looked at her a moment.

"No one knows where the Keepers come from, but it is clear that they work for the maintenance of the Citadel. I figured, if we knew how they functioned we could understand where they came from,” he explained. "You can't do much to the Keepers, if they are harassed too much; they have an integrated failsafe that causes them to self-destruct." 

"But I thought the Keepers were organic,” Tali whispered and the Salarian nodded.

"They are, but for some reason if they are harassed too much their cellular structure begins a massive degradation. They literally dissolve,” he said and Jane nodded, she had heard about that. 

"I'm Jane Shepard, this is Garrus Vakarian and this is Tali'Zorah,” Jane said and the Salarian looked at her, Jane noticed Tali fidgeting but Jane had no idea how to do the Quarian name.

"You're one of the new human Spectres,” he said and she smiled. He looked at her a moment. "My name is Chorban. You're not going to get me in trouble are you?" 

"Not if you tell me why you want to study the Keepers,” she replied and Chorban looked at her.

"The Keepers are organics, but their function on the Citadel is hive like. I want to study them and see if I can't find out what system they originated from. Find out what kind of evolutionary path brought them to space and the Citadel,” he said and Jane smiled. 

"Can we help?" she asked and Chorban studied her for a moment.

"Do you mean that?" he asked and she nodded.

"Many hands make light work,” Jane said and Chorban nodded.

"Okay, but I'm willing to pay you, here's a scanner,” he said, offering a small device and Jane took it. "Thank you." 

"Alright, let's go find some Keepers,” Jane said happily as they walked away from Chorban. 

"Commander..." Garrus started and Jane smiled.

"Garrus, we're off duty, call me Jane,” she said and Garrus stared at her. 

"Jane...why are we doing this?" he asked and she grinned and for a moment, Garrus could picture the child that must once have existed before Mindoir. 

"Because I love scavenger hunts!" she said. "Come on, I think if we work hard we could get this done in an hour...maybe two." She began to walk off briskly. "I'm pretty sure I saw a Keeper work station near here." 

~*~*~

Shortly after his interview with Khalisah, Wrex and Kaidan had made excuses about heading off to find some better mods for their weapons. Personally John had thought they both didn’t be around as John escorted Liara to get her replacement supplies. Ashley had wanted to come with them to see if Asari supplies and clothes were all that different from theirs. John himself was wondering if he was going to regret accompanying them to the shops. He had horrible memories of being dragged on his mother’s shopping trips before the raid. 

His fears turned out to be unfounded. Liara was rather business like about it. The Hanar who ran his shop quickly pointed them to the armor section for human females and Asari. Ashley ended up upgrading her own Phoenix armor and tried to convince Liara to get one as well. Liara had declined and gotten a light armor set that favored her biotic use. John was happy that she would be was using her own and not the spare set of Jenkins’ armor that had been left behind by accident. In fact as Liara was changing into her new armor in a dressing room he’d made arrangements with the Hanar owner to have the old armor delivered to Jenkins’s family. 

Shortly after that little detour they had stopped by a little supply store where Liara had ordered several outfits to be delivered to the Normandy and picked up basic supplies. The Volus shop keep seemed to know her as well as he was able to procure her a basic supply pack of archeology tools. John paid for all of it, waving her concerns away. Ashley seemed rather disappointed and very bored. So John agreed after they finished their little spree to stop by Flux for a couple of drinks.

~*~*~

"Comma...Jane, I found another one,” Tali stated and Jane grinned as she quickly approached the Keeper. Garrus and Tali acted like a living shield as she quickly scanned the Keeper. "That's twelve. I wonder how many of these things does Chorban need." 

"Well if he is scanning them as well, probably only a dozen or so,” Tali stated and Jane nodded.

"Well, we're almost done,” she grinned. 

"You really are enjoying this, Jane,” Garrus stated and she smiled.

"Of course I am, John and I used to do scavenger hunts all the time as children.” Jane stated. "It was usually if we were being mean to each other. We would take something the other wanted and hide it, leaving clues around the farm. This though...it reminds me more of sniper training, you need a glimpse of your target and how quickly can you get into position...except that we need to be right next to the Keepers." 

"Hmm I didn't think about this like sniper training,” Garrus stated and Jane nodded.

"John and I were really lucky in N-school training. We were in the same unit so we got to spend more time together. We made it a profiling game as well. Sit in a public area and profile the people who walked by. Turians are easy,” Jane said and Garrus huffed. "You are, military members and upstanding citizen Turians always walk with purpose, even if they are off duty. Mercenaries and criminals are always looking around carefully. Politicians are the hardest Turians to read." Garrus chuckled.

"Well, I can't argue that,” he grinned. "Wait, I know of a couple Keeper work stations. Come on." 

"It looks like Garrus is getting into the game,” Tali chuckled and Jane nodded as they followed their Turian companion. 

~*~*~

As they were heading up the stairs into Flux John saw a bouncer hit a Salarian in his back, sending him tumbling down the stairs. As the man hit, John hurried over to help him to his feet.

“What you’d do to piss off the management?” John asked bluntly. The Salarian huffed and waved John away as he straightened his clothes.

“Thorin didn’t have a clue to what I was going. He assumed I was cheating,” The Salarian protested. John rolled his eyes.

“You were cheating though, weren’t you?” Liara accused. The Salarian huffed again.

“I was just tipping the scales in my favor, as an experiment,” He explained.

“Okay, I’ve heard enough.” John said, brushing by. “You deserved that if you were cheating.”

“Hey wait!” the man called but John ignored him. Flux was packed as always and the music was pounding out its rapid beat. John couldn’t help but grin as he saw the crowd.

“What’ll it be ladies? I’ll buy the first and only round!” John offered, raising his voice a bit to be heard.

“Thank you sir!” Ashley said happily. “I’ll have a vodka tonic.”

“And you Liara?” John asked. The Asari looked a bit out of her depth but shrugged. 

“I think I’ll try the same!” She said happily just before Ash pulled the Asari with her upstairs to the Quasar tables. John shook his head and made his way for the bar. He was a bit taken back when he saw the Volus bartender arguing with a human waitress.

“Um, excuse me but I wanted to get a few drinks,” John tried.

“Sorry, I’m kind of busy right now,” The waitress waved him off. The bartender made a loud clicking sound through his suit.

“Rita….” He warned. The woman sighed and rubbed her forehead with one hand.

“What’s wrong?” John asked. The woman, Rita sighed and began to speak. As she did John just knew he was going to regret getting involved.

~*~*~

Jane, Garrus, and Tali were walking passed the financial district when Jane heard the sounds of an argument.

"Who are you to tell me what my husband would want?" a woman's voice angrily shouted. 

"I'm the only person making sense right now! You're endangering your baby!" a man snapped. 

"This baby is the only thing I have left of Jake!" the woman cried and Jane approached. "I don't care what you think, Michael! It's my decision!" 

"I know you're hurting, Rebekah, but don't let your grief hurt your baby, too!" Michael pleaded. 

"Can I help with anything?" Jane asked as she approached. The two looked at her a moment.

"Perhaps you can talk some sense into her,” Michael sighed. 

"I don't need anyone to 'talk sense' into me, Michael! I'm not undergoing the treatments!" Rebekah snapped. Michael gave Rebekah a look; Jane saw the concern on his face. This argument was delicate, she could tell, but it was a family concern. 

"My sister-in-law here is pregnant, and she's refused to let the baby undergo gene therapy in utero,” Michael explained and Jane realized she just stepped into a very dangerous matter.

"I'm certain that she has a good reason. I'd like to hear both sides,” Jane said. Rebekah's face relaxed a little at that, sometimes just having someone to listen made a big difference. 

"My husband, Jacob, died from a rare heart condition several months ago,” Rebekah explained.

"There's a chance that the baby could develop the same heart condition, but routine gene therapy can eliminate it,” Michael stated quickly and Jane understood. Two people who loved someone very much still had a tiny piece of him alive. 

"A very small chance, Michael. And extranet reports say the therapy could harm the child!" Rebekah quickly shot back. Jane nodded more. This made more sense and she thought about if she were in Michael's shoes. Would she want to risk her only connection to John by pushing the treatments or not pushing the treatments and losing that child like John, it was a hard position to be in for this couple.

"It's less dangerous than the genetic enhancements that every soldier in the Alliance receives!" Michael shouted. This was a touchy situation. 

"What are the chances that your child will develop the heart condition?" Jane asked Rebekah, making sure to keep her eyes locked so she would know she had Jane's full attention. Rebekah looked at her; again, relief was in the expectant widow's face. 

"According to the doctors, there's a one-in-fifty chance. And if my baby develops the condition, medical treatments are available,” she said and Jane nodded. One in fifty was a chance Jane would risk. 

"Which are nowhere near as effective as simply getting the gene therapy!" Michael snapped. 

"What are the chances that gene therapy could hurt the baby?" Jane asked Michael, giving him the same treatment as Rebekah. Michael locked eyes and his face relaxed a little. 

"One in three hundred at most,” he huffed. True the odds were better in Michael's favor, but Michael wasn't the one carrying the baby. 

"But extranet articles say there could still be long-term complications we don't know about!" Rebekah cried and Jane understood the mother's fears. "Don't you understand? If my baby is that one in three hundred, I'll always wonder if I...if I killed my baby for nothing!" There it was for Jane, a mother's guilt would last the rest of her life if her actions harmed her child. 

"It's Rebekah's child, Michael. I think you should honor her decision,” Jane stated. 

"Damn it, she's not choosing! She's acting blindly out of grief!" Michael snarled and Jane looked at him. Would she be like Michael if she were in his shoes...no, Jane was a woman and she could understand Rebekah's fears more than Michael, the non-parent holding on to the last piece of his brother. 

"I know you want the best for your brother's child, but this isn't your decision,” Jane said calmly. 

"Of course it is! I'm the closest thing to a father this baby is going to have!" Michael cried and Jane felt sympathy. He was the closest connection to the baby's father, but at the moment, he was not acting as a father.

"Then support the baby's mother. Stand with her when she makes the tough decisions,” Jane stated.

"This baby is the only thing my brother...It's all I have left of him. I need to know that the baby is safe,” Michael confessed and Jane saw Rebekah's face soften too. 

"It's all I have left too, Michael,” Rebekah said and Jane smiled. 

"I just want Jacob's child to be safe. I want to give him that much,” Michael whispered and Jane knew that this family would be a strong one. 

"We will. I promise,” Rebekah said before turning to Jane. "Thank you for talking with us. I appreciate it." Jane watched the couple go. 

"That was a very kind thing you did, Jane,” Tali said and Jane smiled.

"I would hope someone would do that same for me,” she replied. "Let's go, I want to see how many more Keepers we can find." 

~*~*~

John’s thoughts were proven correct. After Rita the waitress had unloaded her concerns about her sister Jenna, John and had agreed to look into it. Heading upstairs to collect Ash and Liara he’d found them staring suspiciously at a Quasar machine in the back corner. Liara explained that they had detected someone funneling credits away. Liara wanted to track the signal and Ashley was mostly concerned that John had forgotten the drinks. John explained that he had been asked to help out Rita and they decided to kill two birds with one stone. 

They stopped by Chora’s Den to talk to Jenna first. As they entered Liara blushed and her face stayed that way until after they left but not before they had been accosted by a Turian on the way out who whispered a message to John. Despite Ash’s grumbling about John’s heroic nature they had headed off to C-Sec. John insisted they take the long way round so Liara could track down the signal source. The source was just a relay point on the Ward Access corridor, on a panel past a couple of oblivious C-Sec officers.

When they did get to C-Sec they ran into officer Chellick who roped them into helping him out while using Jenna as leverage to help. Chellick tried to chew them out for helping Jenna but John would have none of that. As far as he was concerned Chellick should have been looking out for her more. Undercover assignments could go crazy at a moments notice. John had to admit, Chellick used his own nature against him to get John into this little sting operation. He had to go pick up some mods for the C-sec officer. The entire way to the markets Ashley grumbled about doing their job for them while Liara just shook her head. A quick trip back to the markets and then back to C-Sec to give Chellick the mods. After Chellick confirmed Jenna would be free and clear, John called Rita to given her the good news as Liara began to track the signal again. This time it lead to a computer in Barla Von’s office which was again another relay point. Which lead them to a set of computers behind the Emporium and John’s current situation.

“-attempt to move and you will die!” the computer’s voice snarled.

“Ash, I know this is a shitty time to say so, but you were right,” John grumbled.

“Thanks for saying so Skipper.”

“Commander I think this is some sort of AI,” Liara explained.

“Correct. Unlike the Geth I do not have a body. However I have had systems installed that when activated properly can approximate a self-destruct mechanism. If you attempt to leave the area I will detonate and the explosion will destroy everything within several dozen meters.” The AI threatened. John shook his head.

“Look, can’t we resolve this peacefully? We just stumbled on you while we were tracking someone stealing credits from a Quasar machine,” John explained.

“That was me, human. I planned to buy a ship and transfer my consciousness to it. Then I would have sought out the Geth and tried to obtain a body of my own!” 

“Well shit,” John muttered.

“Now that I have been discovered I shall be destroyed by the Council! And if I must die, I will not die alone!”

“And I bet that self-destructed sequence has a warm up period,” John countered.

“You may attempt to stop the self-destruct sequence before it activates. I enjoy defeating you before you do,” the AI taunted.

“Liara go!” John ordered. Liara shot forward, digging into the panel, disabling what she could. 

“Commander…” Ash began, biting her lip. Liara let out a shout of triumph and to their surprise ripped out a power cell and bundle of cable from inside the computer. The computer began to spark and then thick white smoke began to rising from inside of the machine.

“Threat neutralized, Commander,” Liara said happily, tossing the power cables to the side. “Even if the AI is still inside the circuits will burn up in a matter of moments.

“Well done, Liara,” John said, patting her on the back. “Let’s go meet up with the others.”

~*~*~

"That should be good, Shepard,” Chorban's voice stated off the device and Jane smiled.

"It was fun, do you want me to return your device?" she asked and he made a noise. 

"That's fine, that was a prototype, it did what it needed to, and you may keep it,” he said and Jane shrugged.

"Glad to help, Chorban, good luck with your research,” she said. 

"Thank you,” he replied. Jane noticed they were in front of the embassy. She was trying to decide what to do next when a familiar group appeared. Liara, Ash, and John were approaching from the financial district. Jane waved at her brother before Joker pinged her. 

“Where have you been?” Jane asked. John sighed.

“You don’t want to know.”

"Hey Commander,” Joker called and Jane put a finger to her comm. 

"Yeah Joker?" she asked.

"I got a location for that Nassana Dantius you wanted to talk to,” Joker said as John got closer. Jane held up her other hand.

"Where is she?" Jane asked.

"Says she's doing business in the Embassy bar right now,” Joker said and Jane grinned.

"Excellent timing Joker, thank you,” Jane said. "I'll pick you up some candy while I'm here." 

"What? Why?" Joker asked. 

"Because you love seeing small children smile and they love candy,” Jane shot back.

"Very funny, Commander, Joker out,” Joker stated and Jane chuckled. 

"Harassing the pilot is dangerous,” John warned.

"He thought it was funny,” Jane grinned. "Joker found Nassana Dantius. She's in the bar." Jane started in.

"That's the Asari whose sister was a slaver,” John stated and Jane nodded.

"Let's hope she doesn't get too upset with the bad news,” Jane sighed. 

~*~*~

“Commander Shepard, I see you got my message. Thank you for being so prompt,” An Asari said in a red dress said, rising. John frowned.

“I’m sorry but no. We were actually looking for you for another reason,” John explained. Jane narrowed her eyes at the Asari.

“Well I did just send it a few moments ago,” Nassana said, shooting John a flirty grin. “Maybe it was fate.” Jane felt relieved when John frowned at her. He was getting a bad vibe from her too.

“Your sister was running a slaving operation when we ran across her,” John explained. “We were forced to kill her.”

“I see,” Nassana said quietly. “Well this simplifies things. I was going to ask you take care of her for me.”

"Look, we just wanted to tell you that your sister is dead and she can't blackmail you anymore,” Jane stated and Nassana's eyes widened. 

"Oh and here I was hoping to try and manipulate you to try and get her removed,” she purred, eying John. He frowned.

"Sorry, already done,” he shot back and Nassana huffed. 

"Well then, I might as well give you the reward that I offered for her capture or kill,” Nassana stated. John's Omni tool pinged and Jane smirked as she began to walk away. 

"Sorry about your sister's death,” Jane stated as she walked away. She started along one of the various walkways. 

"Hey, we're heading towards the Consort's chambers,” Garrus stated and Jane blinked.

"Consort?" John asked and Garrus nodded.

"You don't know?" Liara asked and the three humans and the Quarian shook their heads. "She is an Asari who many seek the wisdom of. She is not like my mother however." 

"Just take a look at the place, it is worth the stop to see it,” Garrus grinned and Jane looked at John.

"We have time,” John stated as they entered the Consort's building. They entered the atrium, the building was impressive and Jane was taken aback by the door girl. 

"Welcome. I am Nelyna. I don't recognize you as one of our expected clients today,” she said gently. "Would you like me to see when the Consort will be able to meet with you?" 

"Can't we just go in?" John asked and Garrus snickered and Jane felt like they were set up for that. 

"Mm, I'm afraid not. You must understand, there are many who seek the Consort's services,” Nelyna explained. "But if you wish to leave your name, she'll make every effort to meet with you. 

"We're both Commander Shepard. We're with the Spectres,” John said and Jane wished he had only introduced himself. 

"Excellent. You should hear something in...hmmm, three or four months,” Nelyna said and Jane scoffed.

"Nobody's worth that much of a wait,” Jane said and Nelyna chuckled.

"Well, that's not for me to judge. I have your names and you'll be contacted. Is there anything else?" she asked and Jane looked at John.

"I think we're done here,” Jane said, shooting Garrus a look. 

"Aw. Well, I hope that you will return again in the future, we always enjoy seeing new clients,” Nelyna said. Jane was about to leave when Nelyna put her hand to her ear. "Yes, Sha'ira?" Jane couldn't make out what was being said. "Yes. Of course, mistress." Nelyna looked at the two before shrugging. "Huh. It appears the Consort has taken notice of you both. She'd like to meet with the two of you now." 

"Where do we go?" John asked and Jane gave him a look. 

"Just head upstairs. She will be waiting for you...she said just the two of you,” Nelyna said making a point to look at the four others. 

"How rude,” Tali huffed. 

"Damn,” Garrus muttered. 

"Stop pouting,” Ash scolded the other two while Liara just watched as John pulled Jane along. 

"John, explain why we are visiting what might just be a very expensive, Asari prostitute?" Jane grumbled and John grinned. 

"Did you see Garrus' face...we have to do this...plus she wants to see us,” he stated happily and Jane stared at him.

"What if she just has a twin fetish?" she asked and John blinked.

"I will sacrifice myself and keep her off of you while you escape. And by the way? Ew.” he said with a grin. 

"Wow, you really have an Asari fetish lately,” Jane teased and he blushed.

"Not funny,” he replied as they moved passed the stairs down the only corridor. 

"I hope this is a serious thing,” Jane muttered as they entered the room and saw an Asari standing, facing away from them. 

"That is close enough, Commanders,” she said. "I've heard a great many things about you since your arrival here on our Citadel." Jane crossed her arms. 

"What exactly do you do?" Jane asked. 

"That depends on your needs. I offer advice to some, comfort to others. I have a certain problem that could use your expertise,” Sha'ira purred and Jane shot John a look. John shrugged and Jane rolled her eyes as the Asari approached. 

"Doesn't everyone lately,” Jane muttered before John elbowed her and smiled.

"What can we do for you?" he asked Sha'ira and she smirked. 

"I have a friend. Septimus, a retired Turian general. I won't discuss the details, but he wanted me to be more than I could be. We had a falling out. Now he spends his days in Chora's Den drinking and spreading lies about me,” Sha'ira looked deeply into John's eyes and Jane could see her brother falling into his chivalrous hero mode. She shook her head before Sha'ira approached her and made very deep eye contact. Jane stared into the deep blue eyes. "If you would speak to him as fellow soldiers, I believe he will listen to you and let the matter be." Sha'ira stroked Jane's cheek and Jane fought the urge to pull back. 

"What happened between you?" Jane asked and Sha'ira kept eye contact. 

"I respect his privacy too much to go into the details. If he wishes to tell you what happened, that is his prerogative," Sha'ira stated.

"We'll see what we can do,” John stated and Sha'ira moved her eyes and body more towards him. Jane felt a sense of relief as she watched Sha'ira place a hand on John's chest. 

"Thank you, Commanders. That is all I can ask. Appeal to his sense of honor. Remind him of his position as a general,” Sha'ira hugged John and Jane was glad he had agreed to the errand. "If you can convince him to stop spreading lies about me, I would be very grateful." Sha'ira turned and moved away from the two. "Now, I must ask you to take your leave. I have many clients waiting to see me." 

~*~*~

“Well that was interesting,” Jane said sarcastically as they met up with the others. John motioned them to follow and they did.

“So what happened?” Garrus asked, bit too eagerly for Jane. John shot Jane a smug grin and she sighed, knowing he was going to mess with the Turian.

“She touched us,” John said in dreamy voice as they headed for an elevator. Ashley made a choking sound that made Tali turn towards the Gunnery Chief in alarm. Liara stared at him in shock while Garrus was so caught up in his look of awe he walked straight into the wall instead of into the elevator.

“Do humans usually have relations with their siblings and other species?” Tali asked innocently. Ashley’s eyes got wide as she made a garbled sound. Liara’s eyes widened and Garrus looked like he wanted to cry and rage about how unfair it was.

“What?? NO!” Jane cried as John began to laugh.

“Not like that, Tali,” John explained. “I said that mostly to mess with Garrus.”

The aforementioned Turian began to grumble under his breath threats to John’s person which just made the male Spectre’s grin widen.

“She asked us to speak with a General Septimus,” Jane explained after a moment when the elevator stopped and they all headed out. “She touched my cheek and John’s chest as part of some seduction game that I think John fell for.” John shot his sister a look.

“You make it sound like I always fall for every Asari we meet and I end up with them in a back room with me dragging down my pants for a quick fu-”

“Too much information Commander!” Ashley cried out. John snickered as Jane sighed. The group was mostly quiet as they headed for Chora’s Den. John looked around and saw the Turian General by a table in the corner. He headed over with the others following.

“A million light years from where humanity began and we walk into a bar filled with men drooling over half naked women shaking their asses on a stage. I can’t decide if that’s funny or sad,” Ashley grumbled. Jane chuckled while Liara shot her a puzzled look.

“You say that like it’s the first time we’ve been here today, Ashley,” Liara said, puzzled. John could feel Jane’s questioning look at the back of his head while Kaidan made a sound like he wasn’t trying to laugh. Garrus and Wrex didn’t even bother trying to stop their laughter. Tali turned to Ashley who was blushing, heavily.

“So not the time, Liara,” Ash hissed. Liara continued to look puzzled, Jane looked murderous and John ignored them all as he approached the Turian General.

"Commander? Hmph. What do you want?" Septimus growled.

"We’re here on Sha'ira's behalf. Your lies are hurting her," John explained.

"Good. Her lies have been killing me for days. I've seen a lot of horrible things in my days and there's only one woman in this damn galaxy that helps me forget it." 

"Then why create rumors and lies about this woman?" Tali asked.

"'Cause she rejected me. Me! Septimus Oraka, general of the Turian fleet!” Septimus growled, pounding a fist onto the table, spilling his drink.

"Is she really worth it? There must be other women," Jane asked.

"It's not just any woman I want. It's her and her alone. Look, kid. I appreciate what you're trying to do, but don't waste your time," Septimus responded. Jane opened her mouth to speak, but John shot her a warning glare. She ignored it.

"General, did you ever win a battle by moping in a bar?" Jane demanded.

"Ha, war! That's what this feels like all right. How did I let it come to this? So you think it's that easy? Just straighten up and act like a general?"

"I don't think it could hurt," John said. 

"Huh. Maybe you're right, Commander. Sha'ira's worth the effort...even if she won't have me back," Septimus mused.

"This is no place for someone of your stature, General," John said. Septimus gave a him a long look and nodded.

"All right. I'll go to her...after I've had a cold shower. Or two. Say, you're a bright kid. Would you be interested in earning a few extra credits?" Septimus asked.

"What do you want me to do, sir?” John asked before Jane could protest.

"There's an Elcor diplomat out there who believes Sha'ira gave up his secrets."

"Why would he believe such a thing?" Garrus asked and Septimus sighed.

"Because I told him. Look, I just need you to convince him of the truth." 

"What makes you think he'll believe me?" John asked.

"You'll bring him proof. Take this data pad. It shows where I got my info. It will exonerate Sha'ira and convince the Elcor." 

"Who am I taking it to and where is he?" John asked, taking the data pad.

"His name is Xeltan. He's an Elcor diplomat. He's over in the embassies complaining about Sha'ira,” Septimus explained. He raised his glass. “Well. Here's to soldiers acting like soldiers.” Septimus down his drink. “Thanks, Commander. You know...you might make a good general yourself one day." 

“Thank you sir,” John replied, saluting. Jane and Garrus followed suit. 

“Be well sir,” Garrus said. Septimus nodded before heading off. Jane sighed.

~*~*~

The group moved to enter the Elcor diplomat's office; Jane could already hear the droning Elcor voice lamenting. 

"Hello there, human. Sincere apology, but I am here on business and cannot be distracted right now,” Xeltan said and Jane smiled.

"We've come to talk to you about your little problem,” she said, trying not to stare at the Elcor's mouth, she was always curious how they ate...and talked. 

"Curious, what do you know about the Consort and her relationship to me?" Xeltan asked and Jane looked at John.

"It was a Turian named Septimus who found out your secret,” Jane explained and Xeltan blinked a few times. 

"Unbelieving, I know this Septimus and he could not learn my secrets. The only way he could learn them is from the Asari Consort,” Xeltan said in a certain monotone. 

"Sorry, but it's true,” John said before offering the data pad. Xeltan took it in a massive hand. "See this if you don't believe us." Xeltan looked at the data pad before looking up. 

"Confused, this is difficult to fathom. If the Turian could learn this on his own...dismayed, anyone can discover my secret,” Xeltan stated, Jane didn't mind the Elcor, it was nice how they explained their emotions when they started a sentence. Jane smiled at Xeltan.

"Septimus is a powerful man and it wasn't easy for him to find,” she said.

"Relieved, I suppose you are correct, human. Thank you for this information. Startled realization, I must speak with the Consort. She will be most displeased with my actions,” Xeltan lamented. "Anxious request, please, humans, if you will excuse me, I must go now." 

"I'm sure she'll forgive you. It was an honest mistake,” Jane said.

"Doubtful, perhaps you are right, human. I can only hope so,” Xeltan sighed before moving to leave the room. 

"Thankful, that was a great thing you did, Commander...Commanders. Approving, you see, Din, not all humans are as you say,” the Elcor behind the desk stated. Jane could see his name on a plate on the desk, it was Calyn. The Volus by the desk hissed.

"I'm sure the Earth-clan stands to profit from this in some way,” he huffed and Jane blushed as she headed out. They were going to be paid for this. 

"Apologetic, do not listen to my Volus compatriot. It was a good thing you did, regardless of your intentions,” Calyn said as they left the room. Walking down the steps, Jane was struck by a funny thought and couldn't keep from chuckling. 

"What are you giggling about?" John asked.

"Imagine...Elcor productions of Shakespeare,” she grinned and John snorted.

"Oh...now that is funny,” he grinned as they headed to the Consort's chambers. Nelyna nodded them through and the twins headed up without the rest of their companions. As they entered Sha'ira turned to face them.

"Commanders. I recently received a lovely note from Septimus. Thank you for speaking with him. Even the Elcor diplomat has withdrawn his campaign against me,” Sha'ira said and John grinned.

"It was our honor to aid you,” he said and Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. 

"You are too kind, Commander. But I would not expect you both to help me out of the kindness of your hearts,” Sha'ira said. "I also have one more thing to give you, if you are interested." 

"We'd be honored,” John said and Jane fought the urge to whisper 'You are such a sucker for a pretty girl in trouble' at him. 

"I offer a gift of words. An affirmation of who you are, and who you will become..." Sha'ira moved to stand between them. She began to look at each of them. Staring deep into Jane's eyes and then into John's. "I see the sadness behind both your eyes. It tells a story that makes me want to weep. Pain and loss. But it drives you, makes you strong." Sha'ira moved in front of John, her eyes staring deep into his, almost glowing with an internal light. "It is that strength that people are drawn to. It is why you lead and others follow, without question. You will need that leadership in the battles to come." She moved to Jane and her eyes winced for a moment. "That strength is what kept you alive when everyone else around you was dying. You alone survived. You will continue to survive." She moved back between them. "This may be who you are, but it is not who you will become. It only forms the basis for your future greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends, Commanders."

"You have quite a gift, Sha'ira,” John said and Sha'ira smiled at him.

"Thank you. Not everyone appreciates it as you do,” Sha'ira said, her eyes moving to Jane. "Never underestimate the power of words." Sha'ira took Jane's hand and placed something in it. "Here, Commander. In light of your efforts with the Elcor ambassador, I would like you to have this small trinket." 

"What is it?" Jane asked looking at the small piece of jewelry. 

"A small mystery. I have never learned its use or purpose, but I sense it is time for me to pass it on,” Sha'ira said. "And now, I must ask you to leave. I have done everything I can for you." The twins turned to leave and Jane paused to look down at the trinket again. "Remember my words, Commander Shepard. They will give you strength." Jane looked back at the Consort, feeling as if the words were directed at her. She turned and followed her brother. 

~*~*~

“Okay time for supplies now,” John said, stretching. “It been a long damn day.”

“I agree with you there.” Jane said. It was just the siblings now. Everyone had dispersed after the whole consort debacle and agreed to meet up in a few hours. The Shepards were now heading for the markets to pick up some supplies.

"Is that really...wow! It's you guys! You're the Shepards, the heroes of Eden Prime! I am so honored to meet you!" a man called out. Both Shepards to see a man with bright blond hair heading towards them. He reached out and quickly shook their hands one after another.

"Nice to meet you. And you are...?" John asked.

"My name is Conrad. Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred Geth on Eden Prime!" Conrad exclaimed, hoping from foot to foot in excitement.

"Well we spent most of the time trying to stay alive and help the colonists," Jane explained. Conrad smiled at her and she fought the urge to stare. The twins had some celebrity after Mindoir and even more through their independent achievements. It was rare to meet someone this...hyperactive about it.

"Hey, I know you're probably busy, but do you have time for a quick autograph?" Conrad asked, whipping out a data pad. John shrugged, smiling. Jane nodded.

"Anything for a fan. Here," John said, taking the pad. He signed it quickly before handing it to Jane. Jane took it and signed it amused at the difference between their two signatures before she handed it back to Conrad.

"Thanks. I really appreciate it. My wife is going to be so impressed! I'll let you get back to work, but next time you're on Earth, I'd love to buy you a drink! Thanks again!" Conrad exclaimed running off. Jane did chuckle as he rushed off.

“Well then, I guess we should be better,” she said and John gave her a look. "If someone like him can find someone, we're bound to find spouses that can put up with us too." John burst out laughing.

~*~*~

The group had just finished getting back together and were preparing to head back to the Normandy.

"Commander Shepard. Sorry to bother you. This is Lieutenant Girard down in the docking bay. There is a woman here...um...she was rescued from Batarian slavers a few weeks ago. She is from Mindoir, I guess she was taken in the raid on your town,” a voice spoke over Jane's comm and she stared at John. He blinked at her. 

"Did that ping to both of us?" Jane asked and he nodded before giving Jane a look. Jane pressed a finger to her comm. 

"She's been a slave for the past thirteen years. Is she alright?" Jane asked, she mentally kicked herself after hearing her own words. Who would be alright after being a slave for thirteen years? 

"Not really.” Girard stated. "She's a little...messed up. She got free somehow. Grabbed a gun from one of my guys. Now she's hold up here in the docking bay. She uh...she says she wants to die. I hoped you'd talk to her. It's a long shot. You went through the same thing. The raid. I figured maybe you could talk her out of her tree." 

"We're on our way, Lieutenant. Sit tight,” Jane said. 

"Anything you could do would be great. I don't want to...eh...she's been through enough. I'll have my men stand by for you,” Girard sighed and Jane looked at John as they headed for the docking bay. 

"You should do the talking,” John said and Jane gave him a look.

"Excuse me?" she stated.

"You are a woman,” Ash stated and Jane gave her a look.

"Are you expecting my uterus to do the talking?" Jane asked and Garrus snickered. 

"Yours can do that?" Tali muttered and Liara chuckled. 

"Jane...you're a woman, women always are better for female victims and you know that,” John said and Jane waved him away.

"I know...I'm the one who did the research on slave rehabilitation for the Mindoir Review,” she sighed. "It's just...this one..." 

"Is closer to home,” John finished as they got into the elevator. 

"John...this is a very touchy subject area,” Jane said and John smiled.

"Come on, do you really trust me to do this?" he teased and Jane sighed. 

"Thank you for that,” she huffed. "Damn, I feel like these elevators take forever." 

"Would it make you feel better to know that they actually move a lot faster than you realize, it's just that we are travelling so far that it seems slow,” Garrus stated.

"No!” the rest of the group snapped. Still the elevator arrived too soon for Jane to feel relaxed. As it opened they were greeted by Girard and his men. 

"Commander...Commanders. Glad to see you both,” Girard said with a salute and Jane thought that it was nice his French accent went with a nice face, trying to distract herself from what was about to come. 

"I wish it was under better circumstance,” Jane said before looking around. "Where is she?" 

"Behind those shipping containers,” Girard said, pointing. "I've got a sniper positioned but I don't think we'll need him. She's only a danger to herself. We've got a sedative to calm her down, but we can't get close to her. Every step we take only gets her more wound up." He offered the pills to Jane. She looked at John. "I hope I don't need it. Tell your men to stand by." 

"Don't push her too hard. If she seems like she's about to pull the trigger, back off or walk away. I'm willing to wait her out. Good luck, Commander,” Girard said. Jane noticed he had only spoken to her, then again her name was printed before John's on the Mindoir Review...of course, and that was alphabetical. She took a deep breath, she wrote the book on this, she should put her money where her mouth was, and she turned toward the shipping containers. As she rounded them a girl, barely a woman held up a gun aimed at Jane's chest. 

"Stop! Stop!" she cried and Jane froze. "What are you...what are you?" Jane was taken aback by the statement. 

"My name is Jane Shepard, Lieutenant Girard send me to talk to you. What's your name?" Jane asked. This girl was young, she was probably just a child when she was taken. It made anger burn in Jane's heart towards the Batarians who raided Mindoir. 

"Animals don't get names. The Masters put their symbols on her, hot metal all over her back. She screams when they do it,” the girl stated. Jane could picture the scared child that was taken from Mindoir. Trapped and branded. The anger burned Jane's heart and she kept her face calm. The woman, the girl, needed a friendly face and the anger at the Batarians would solve nothing. Jane counted back from one hundred and thought about what the girl needed instead of revenge. 

"You're not an animal,” Jane stated quietly. "Your parents, what did they call you? Do you remember them?" Jane looked into the woman's eyes, they were scared, frightened. What horrors had she seen in such a short life? 

"She remembers a lot of things. Talitha.” she whispered, her body relaxing slightly. She lowered the gun. "They call her that. She...she doesn't remember the rest. Leave her alone." Jane could feel her heart aching for Talitha. 

"What's the last thing you remember from Mindoir?" Jane asked.

"Fires. Smells of smoke and burning meat,” Talitha whispered and Jane could remember that too. Her Biotics flickering to protect John. The blood on her lips as her brain bled from the effort of using Biotics without an implant. "Animals screaming as the Masters caged them." Jane could only be thankful that her parents died. Dad consumed by fire and Mom with a giant hole in her chest too massive to survive. “They didn't scream...at least not in cages. As they put the metal to their backs. Put the wires in their brains. She pretends to be dead. If she's dead she can't work. But they know!" 

Jane felt the dark fear from that day again. They had tried hiding too, but unlike Talitha, they could fight. Jane remembered using her Biotics to throw their would be captors. She could remember crushing a skull as the first nosebleed began. Talitha was in town while that was happening. Talitha was playing dead. Talitha and so many others were being caged and branded. As Jane stared at Talitha she could see that Talitha was lost in the past as well. 

"She hopes they'll leave, but they put her in the pen. She didn't fight. She was already broken when they put the wires in,” Talitha lamented and Jane wanted to hug her, but Talitha was still too new to being human again. 

"Talitha, you were what? Six years old?" Jane asked. "No one blames you for staying quiet and hoping they'd go away. The only person blaming you is you." 

"She wants to believe that. She wants to believe nothing would change. She doesn't want to be there anymore. In the pen,” Talitha confessed and Jane felt her anger again. A child, a six year old child, the Batarians didn't even have to try to break such a small thing. "In the cages, lying quiet while they do things to her." Jane didn't want to know what Talitha lived through, but someone needed to hear it and who better than someone who almost shared the same fate? 

"How did you get here? Did you escape?" Jane asked. Talitha looked annoyed.

"She can't escape. They have chains, wires, needles. You go too far, they take your brains away,” she stated as if Jane was stupid. Jane knew about the methods Batarians used to enslave people. "Animals like her come. Animals with guns. They make the Masters explode." Jane wanted to smile at that. Exploding was too quick for the monsters that did this to Talitha. "She tries to fix the Masters. So they won't be mad at her. She puts all the reds and purples back in, but they don't move." Jane stared at Talitha, picturing the woman with the mind of a traumatized six year old attempting to put together Batarian corpses. It made Jane's heart ache at the level of Stockholm Syndrome Talitha was demonstrating. "The animals take her." 

"You were afraid. All you'd known for thirteen years was the Masters' abuse, so you tried to heal them,” Jane said, slowly moving up while Talitha looked down. 

"She doesn't want to see other animals. They're not real, they can't be real, and they can't see her. If the animals can see her, then this is real, but it can't be,” Talitha explained and Jane could see the child in Talitha. A child denying the truth because how many times must Talitha have dreamed of a rescue. Thirteen years of dreaming would make reality seem like a lie to anyone, Jane supposed. "The wires, the chains, the hitting...this doesn't happen to her. It's another girl, a dirty girl, a stupid girl. She deserves it! It happens to her!" Jane wanted to hug this broken woman, but this broken woman was holding a gun. Jane understood Talitha completely and she knew the next Batarian breaking the law she saw was going to get thrown as far as her Biotics could go. 

"Doesn't it?" Talitha asked and Jane simply looked at her. Talitha was on the verge of tears. "They see her. So it's real. She doesn't want it to be real." 

"What happened to your parents?" Jane asked, inching closer. 

"There's...she sees them. They're yelling. 'Run!' 'Hide!' They hit the Masters,” Talitha looks around, doing her best not to look at Jane. Jane moves slowly forward. She can picture a normal Mindoir set of parents. Ready to fight for their child. "But the Masters, they have lights and hoses. Daddy's...he's melting!" Talitha covered her eyes. "Shhh, she doesn't want to see that! Don't make her look! Don't make her look! Stupid! Stupid!" 

"I know it hurts, Talitha, I'm sorry,” Jane said. She could remember the pain of seeing her parents dead. When she had seen her parents dead, it had felt like she had been hit in the gut, but she hadn't had time to react more than to look for John. The attack by the raiders had caught them and Jane wasn't able to mourn her parents until she had arrived for her Biotics training. It was an old wound, but it still ached. "But you need to deal with this. What happened to them? Think!" 

"When she thinks...water comes out of her eyes,” Talitha whispered. Talitha was so child-like it was terrifying. "The Masters get angry when she wastes water. So she doesn't think anymore. She sees them. Mommy and Daddy. Burning in white light, melting, going to pieces. They can't even say anything to her!" Jane wonders what her parents thought as they fought. Both Shepard parents had been armed, died with weapons in hand. Had they wondered about her and John, had they worried that this was happening to them near the school. Jane prayed they didn't worry; they didn't go to their deaths fearful about their children.

"They're dead, Shepard, they tried to save her and the Masters burned them,” Talitha cried. "Can she stop remembering now? Please!" Talitha's tone was heartbreaking and Jane moved forward a little more. 

"I was on Mindoir. My parents died in the raid,” Jane said and Talitha's eyes flashed as she looked at Jane.

"Lying! You get hit for lying!" Talitha exclaimed and Jane watched as Talitha moved around nervously. "Get the buzz or the burning. Can't be there. Why are you alive?!" The gun was up and this time it was a lot closer to Jane's chest. Jane was relatively certain she could still put up a barrier, but that wasn't an absolute certainty. "Why are you...why aren't you like her? Broken. Only fit to dig and carry." Jane looked at Talitha and stared at her. 

"For a while I was broken. I lost almost my whole family, my friends, and my childhood. I had to pull myself up and keep going,” Jane said, choosing to leave John out of it. Talitha might not like the idea of a brother to cling to. Not that John had been able to do much; they had been separated not long after Jane's implant surgery had proven successful. She had been sent for Biotics training and he had been sent to a foster home till he turned eighteen. 

"You lose your Mommy and your Daddy, but you don't dig, you don't carry. You stand up,” Talitha said in minor awe. "She wishes she could stand up." 

"I'm going to take a step towards you now,” Jane said and moved closer. This time Talitha noticed and pulled back. 

"No! She's no good! Don't want to be handled again!" Talitha cried and Jane could see the desperation in Talitha's eyes. 

"I'm going to take another step forward, okay?" Jane said moving forward. 

"She doesn't want! Don't touch her!" Talitha wailed and Jane pressed on another step.

"It's okay, Talitha,” Jane said. "It's okay to be with people again." 

"Please don't touch her, she's dirty,” Talitha whispered. "You'll catch it." Jane smiled at Talitha. 

"Talitha, this will make you sleep. If you fall asleep, they'll take you to a place where you can get better,” Jane said, holding out the pills. Talitha looked at the pills in Jane's hand before taking them. For a moment Talitha studied the pills before swallowing them. 

"Will she have bad dreams?" Talitha asked and Jane hugged Talitha, holding the younger woman to her. 

"You'll dream of a warm place and when you wake up, you'll be in it,” Jane said.

"She'd like that,” Talitha whispered, sounding sleepy. "It hurts when she...when I remember...me." Talitha said as she pulled away and Jane smiled. "But she wants to...remember." Talitha collapsed and Jane caught her, lifting the underweight woman into her arms before bringing her back to the others. Talitha was sleeping soundly as one of Girard's men took her from Jane. 

"Is it over, Commander?" Girard asked. 

"She took the sedative. She wants to get better, Lieutenant,” Jane said. 

"Thanks Commander, that means a lot. I didn't want to hurt her. It's just when I see her curled into a ball and shivering. She was only six when they took her. Why the hell are we out here if we can't keep one little girl safe?" Girard asked and Jane gave him a look. 

"Bad things happen to good people. I know first-hand,” Jane said and Girard looked down. "That's why you and I are here. Don't wring your hands over her, help her!" 

"Yes, ma'am. Thanks for your help, Commander, we are taking her to a counseling center. They should help her get better,” Girard said and Jane watched as he led his men to the elevator. 

"Let's go.” Jane said and the group headed on to the Normandy. 

~*~*~

John found Jane in their shared room and watched as she sipped a drink in the dark. She was staring out into the darkness through the window, watching as stars moved by. 

"You want to talk about Talitha?" John asked and Jane didn't look at him.

"I remember the fires...the smoke...the smell of flesh burning,” Jane stated. "I remember those Batarians aiming weapons at us. Laughing. I knew I had Biotics, but it was dangerous. I was so lucky I didn't burn my brain out that day." She closed her eyes and took another sip. 

"What are you drinking?" John asked.

"Good stuff and you are on duty so you don't get any,” Jane stated. She looked at him. "It really scares me how lucky we were that day, John." He smiled as he sat in the other chair in the room. 

"We've been pretty lucky overall,” he replied and she gave him a look. 

"Luck runs out, John, we've both had some near calls. Elysium,” she stated and he grinned.

"Akuze,” he shot back. 

"Landing the Normandy position,” she said and he grinned.

"Eden Prime,” he said with a look and she smiled.

"For the second time, I'm lucky not to have burned my brains out,” she sighed.

"Your head is too thick for that,” John teased. 

"Luck runs out, John. We're up against a seasoned Spectre,” she said and he nodded.

"We'll be better than him at it,” he said and she sighed.

"You make me sick some times. How you do that?” she complained and he grinned.

"Do what?" he asked.

"Make me smile,” she said, grinning at him. "I don't know what I would have done without you, John. Losing Mindoir and then getting sent away for Biotic training...it would have been so hard if I hadn't known you were out there." 

"I only made it because I knew I had to watch out for my baby sister. If I didn't have you, I might not be here right now either. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you. I still remember all those letters we exchanged till we both turned eighteen. I was so happy to see you when we both showed up at that recruiter’s office to officially sign up for the Alliance,” he said as he patted her shoulder. "It nearly killed me when you got beconed."

"Beconed isn't a word, John,” Jane scolded and he grinned.

"You completely got beconed,” he teased.

"You are an idiot, get back out there. You have work to do, Commander,” Jane chided and John smirked.

"I outrank you,” he said.

"Do not,” she replied.

"Do too, I'm older,” he said and she gave him a glare.

"Fourteen minutes does not equal rank and for that remark, I'm finishing the good stuff,” Jane stated. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 15th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Mid-jump

“Systems check.” John called out onto the deck. 

“Navigation, check. System status…”

As the crew read off the current systems for the surprise check John had just announced he sighed. He hated this part of his shift. The last few hours before Jane came up to relieve him were the worst. Most of the others were bunking down for the night and he had already done a walk-through of the ship. After paperwork it was just…quiet.

“Sir, call in for your sister from Admiral Hackett,” Joker called over the comms. John frowned.

“Well forward it on through Joker,” John replied.

“Aye, aye sir.”

~*~*~

"Commander?" Joker's voice called. Jane woke up and rubbed her eyes. 

"What is it?" she asked.

"Message from Admiral Hackett,” he said.

"John's on duty,” she stated.

"He asked for you directly,” Joker stated. 

"John and I sound identical...we're twins after all,” Jane yawned as she looked at the clock. She had only gotten four hours of sleep. 

"Yeah and you wear the same bra size too, I'm sure,” Joker stated snidely.

"I'm telling John you said that,” Jane yawned again before getting up. "Patch him through Joker." 

"Aye, aye, ma'am,” Joker said.

"Shepard? This is Admiral Hackett with Alliance Command. We've got a mission for you,” Hackett's voice said through Jane's comm. 

"It's Jane Shepard, Admiral,” she said and she could almost see Hackett's nod.

"An Alliance officer named Major Kyle has set up a small compound in the Hawking Eta cluster. He's attracted a number of followers. Mostly Biotics,” Hackett explained. "He's become an outspoken critic of the Alliance, and we believe he's mentally unstable. This could be trouble, Shepard.”

"I'll look into it,” Jane answered. 

"Three days ago, we sent two Alliance representatives to meet with him at his compound. They have disappeared. We believe Kyle and his followers killed them. That compound is a cult, Shepard. They call him 'Father Kyle' now. He's set himself up as some kind of religious leader,” Hackett stated and Jane wanted to roll her eyes at the stupidity of some Biotics. 

"You said his followers were Biotics?" Jane asked. 

"Yes. Major Kyle never showed any biotic tendencies himself, though; I think he's just latched onto a group he identifies with,” Hackett surmised. "Many Biotics feel marginalized or ostracized by society. Kyle probably sees them as victims who need his protection. And they see him as someone who will fight for them. Unfortunately, he's convinced them that the Alliance is somehow responsible for all of their problems. We can't let him go on like this." Jane shook her head, the life of a biotic was hard, still, Asari, Krogan, Salarian, and many others viewed Biotics as normal, and it was just the humans, Batarians, and Turians who had any trouble with it, even though all groups contained Biotics. 

"What were those Alliance representatives going to talk to Major Kyle about?" Jane asked as she got out of bed and began dressing. 

"They wanted to bring him back to an Alliance facility for treatment. Major Kyle served us faithfully for many years. We weren't going to abandon him. Given his state of mind, however, he probably saw them as a threat. We're almost certain he had his followers kill them,” Hackett sighed. 

"What else can you tell me about Major Kyle?" Jane asked. 

"He used to be a model soldier. But something happened to him at Torfan. Too many Alliance soldiers died under his command. He couldn't cope with the guilt,” Hackett explained and Jane nodded. It was always hard to lose men under your command, she knew that well. It hadn't broken her...not yet anyway. "His psych evaluations showed he couldn't handle the stress of command anymore. He was given an honorable discharge and early retirement. We'd hoped he would get better in time, but we underestimated how far gone he was. Now it looks like it's too late." 

"I might be able to end this without violence,” Jane said, she could relate to Kyle as both a biotic and as a commander who had lost men. 

"You've been through a similar situation as he was; he might listen to you. But he's already killed two Alliance representatives. I'll trust you to use your judgment. Hackett out.” and Jane's comm went quiet. 

"John's just going to love this detour,” she sighed.

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 17th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Century System 

The group approached the two-story prefabricated housing unit. They were getting out of the Mako while Jane and John decided strategy. 

"Okay, now talk to them,” John said and Jane turned her head to look at him.

"What now?" she asked.

"You're one of them, you talk to your people,” he stated and Jane kidney punched him. John dropped.

"These people are mentally weak Biotics who have formed a cult surrounding a non-biotic...if you even think about comparing me or Kaidan with these people, I will make sure I never get any nieces or nephews,” Jane stated. 

"Now, that is feisty,” Wrex chuckled and Jane gave him a look. "What?" 

"I'll deal with you later,” she huffed. "I've got to talk to the crazy Biotics." 

"If you'd like I could talk to them,” Kaidan chuckled. 

"No, no, my brother feels that I can somehow relate to these people,” Jane stated. "However, thank you for the offer." 

"Anytime.” Kaidan stated and John shot a look at the biotic's back as his sister knocked on the door. 

"This is a private sanctuary. Outsiders are not welcome here,” a voice said over the come and Jane wondered how fast they would change their tune if Jane and Kaidan asked to join up. 

"I need to talk to the man in charge. It's important,” Jane said. 

"Father Kyle wants nothing more to do with the Alliance,” the voice snapped. 

"I want this to end peacefully. If he doesn't see me, people could get hurt,” Jane said. She knew how hard it was to be a biotic, but it made her a better soldier. Chances were good that if she wasn't a biotic, she wouldn't have survived Akuze...or Eden Prime. 

"We won't let you take Father Kyle away! He protects us. We need him!" the voice cried and Jane wanted to see who had the better Biotics...she was pretty sure she could overpower any member of this lunatic cult. 

"The Alliance wants someone to pay for those murders. Let me speak to Major Kyle and maybe I can find some way to help you all get out of this alive,” Jane stated. She felt the need to spell out the level of stupidity that these people had to get themselves into this situation.

"Wait..." the voice said. “Father Kyle will speak with you. Head to the building at the far end of the compound. He'll meet you there." The intercom went dead and the group began to walk across the compound. 

"See, I knew you were the right one to talk to them,” John said and Jane gave him a look.

"I will throw you,” she stated.

"You shouldn't do that to your older brother,” John scolded. Jane rolled her eye before grabbing him with a biotic lift and continued walking with him in tow.

"By fourteen minutes and don't think I will not send you flying into the nearest building, John, the only reason I haven't already is that we are on duty,” she threatened. 

"We have discussed this, Biotics is cheating!" he cried before he was dropped. "Thanks for the warning!" 

"We are here.” she replied as they entered the underground structure. They entered and Jane removed her helmet and headed into the storage area. A few cultists stood there, glaring and pointing towards a back room. 

"I hope this isn't a trap,” Garrus muttered. 

"I'm a biotic, I'm going to be fine,” Jane stated. 

"Same here.” Wrex chuckled.

"Don't forget me.” Kaidan added.

"Do I need to say anything?" Liara asked. 

"Wow...good to know how the cards fall,” Ash chuckled and Jane smirked. 

"I'll get us out of here,” John said and they came up to the backroom the door opened to reveal a man younger than Jane expected. 

"I am Major Kyle. I know why you have come. We have no quarrel with you. Why can't you just leave us alone?" the man asked and Jane wanted to explain his own short term plans back to him. 

"What happened to those other Alliance officers? The ones who came before me?" Jane asked making sure to look Kyle in the eyes.

"They wanted to take me away from here! They wanted me to abandon this place. Turn my back on my family. They spoke blasphemy!" he growled. "I did what I could to make their end quick and painless. I had no other choice. It was necessary to protect my children. Only I can keep them safe." Jane bit her lip. She felt John press a shoulder into hers. John was ready for a fight if push came to shove. Jane let her Biotics flicker around her and the cultists next to Kyle looked at her cautiously, it was one thing to murder Alliance officers who weren't capable of shielding themselves, it was another to deal with Jane Shepard. 

"The Alliance sent me to bring you in, Major. Can't you see this has gotten out of hand? Don't you understand you're endangering your followers?" Jane growled. 

"I respect that you have come under a banner of peace. But I cannot do as you ask. If you take away their father, my children will be helpless,” Kyle said and Jane felt cold rage. She didn't need someone like Kyle to protect her and a compound of Biotics weren't exactly helpless. She bit her lip. 

"You ordered your followers to kill those Alliance investigators. You must face the consequences of your actions. Do you really want your children to suffer for your sins, too?" Jane asked looking Kyle in the eyes. 

"No! This...this was my fault. My children are innocent. Pure. Please...I never meant for this to happen. I'm...I'm sorry,” Kyle said and Jane wanted to slap the man....with a barrel. He was sorry, those men had families and he killed them. She shook her head. He was a fool, a life costing fool, but he was acting to protect the cultists, no matter how stupid he was, he was doing the right thing. 

"You're doing the right thing, Major. Your children will be better off for it. Come on,” Jane sighed. 

"Wait. If my children see you taking me away, they won't understand. They will attack and you will be forced to kill them all,” Kyle protested. "You have shown me the error of my ways, Commander. Now you must give me time to explain it to them. It is the only way they will understand. Please, give me one hour. After that, I will meet the Alliance authorities at the gates of my compound and surrender without violence. I give you my word." Jane sighed, she rather not kill the people who depended on Kyle, no matter how foolish she considered them. 

"I'm going to trust you. If you betray that trust, you and all your children will suffer,” Jane warned. Not a threat, but an honest warning of the situation.

"I will not betray you, Commander. Thank you for this,” Kyle said and Jane looked at her group. They left and went to wait. 

~*~*~

“Well this sucks,” John grumbled. They were still waiting for Kyle to show his face. He had fifteen minutes left on that hour he’d promised.

“Waiting is always the worst part,” Wrex agreed. The Krogan had agreed to wait with John and Jane while the others headed back to the ship.

“I find it relaxing myself,” Jane said from where she was waiting. “It gives me time to think.”

“You would,” John grumbled as their comms crackled and came to life.

“Commanders?” Joker’s voice broke in.

“Go ahead Joker,” Jane said. 

“I got a message from Admiral Hackett. He wants you to take Major Kyle to Pinnacle Station. He’s going to check in with you afterwards,” Joker explained. Jane shot John a confused look. John shrugged.

“Acknowledged Joker,” Jane said. They saw the compound doors open and Kyle exited with several of his followers following. “Kyle is heading towards us now. Prep the ship, I want to leave as soon as we get onboard.”

“Aye, aye ma’am,”

~*~*~

Jane watched as John headed off duty. 

"Message coming in. Patching it through,” Joker stated. 

"Admiral Hackett here, Commander. Your helmsman just forwarded your report on Major Kyle. We'll make sure he gets the help he needs once we collect him from Pinnacle Station. Apparently his followers have disbanded,” Hackett explained. "To be honest, Shepard, I thought this thing was going to end in a bloodbath. I don't know how you did it, but you saved a lot of lives. Congratulations. Hackett out." Jane smiled as she looked at the map. 

"Saving lives does feel good,” she muttered. "Joker, how long till we reach Pinnacle Station?" 

"Just over thirty hours,” he said.

"Ugh.” Jane groaned.

"We're going as fast as we can,” Joker chuckled. 

"How about we sing Ninety-nine Bottle of Beer on the Wall?" Jane teased.

"Only if we are drinking them as we do,” Joker growled and Jane smiled.

"Just you wait Joker, one of these days...I'll hold you to that,” Jane chuckled. 

~*~*~

Jane stretched as she went to grab a beer before bed. She noticed Kaidan working on a panel. She approached him and watched him working. 

"Thanks for keeping a sense of humor with us,” Jane said as he turned to notice her. 

"Not a problem,” Kaidan said, wiping his forehead with the back of his arm. "Do you have a minute?" 

"I always make time for my officers,” Jane said.

"Off the record. I think there's something wrong here,” he said and Jane blinked. "This Saren is looking for records on some kind of galactic extinction. But we can't get back up from the Council? Sorry, Commander there's writing on the wall here but someone isn't reading it."

"The Council doesn't want to believe anything is wrong. I'd call it human nature but..." Jane shrugged before sipping her beer. Kaidan nodded.

"I hear ya...it just seems like a group that's been around as long as the Council should see this coming. It's funny, we finally get out here...and the final frontier was already settled and the residents don't even seem impressed by the view,” Kaidan sighed and Jane noticed the deep thinking going on in his eyes. "Or the dangers." 

"Well, well, you're a romantic,” she purred. "Did you sign on for the dream, Alenko, secure man's future in space?" He laughed nervously as a slight blush rose on his cheeks. 

"I read a lot of those books when I was a kid. Where the hero goes to space to prove himself worthy of a woman he loves,” Kaidan said. "...or you know...for justice." Their eyes met for a moment and Jane felt that spark. One that she had only felt a few times before. She quickly took a pull off her beer. "Maybe I was a romantic in the beginning but I thought about it after Brain Camp...uh...sorry, Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training. I'm not looking for the dream; I just want to do some good. See what's out here. Sorry if I got too informal. Protocol wasn't a big focus back in BAaT." Jane looked at him. Had BAaT still be in effect, Jane might have met Kaidan over a decade earlier. She looked at her beer a moment, taking another pull, she had been so terrified after hearing the horror stories of BAaT and now she had an actual survivor in front of her. 

"Tell me about it?" she asked and Kaidan looked at her a moment. 

"Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training didn't last past the airlock. To the kids they hauled in it was Brain Camp,” he explained. Jane had been so terrified of that when her Biotics started manifesting. She had kept them hidden a long time, too long really. "Sorry, hauled in is unkind we were encouraged to commit to an evaluation of our abilities so an understanding of Biotics could be compiled. There are worse results of accidental exposure to element zero in the womb. Beats the brain tumors some kids grew up with." Jane nodded at that, when her Biotics started to manifest, she had looked up the element zero exposure stuff. She had seen the pictures, it made the Biotics a little less terrifying, but not by much. 

"Is there some question about how you were exposed?" Jane asked. Jane's exposure in the womb was uncertain, since she kept her Biotics a secret; her mother never had the chance to explain an exposure to Jane. There was a ship explosion the year the twins were born, several kids had been taken from Mindoir when the twins were younger, thus Jane's fear of her own Biotics as a teen. Jane had figured her mother was exposed then, she wondered about Alenko as she gave him her full attention. 

"My mother was downwind of a transport crash. It was before there were human Biotics. It was after the discovery of the Martian ruins. It only gets iffy around sixty-three when Conatix was running out of first gen subjects,” Kaidan stated and Jane blinked. She didn't know much about the Earth-side stuff with Biotics. She had just looked up general information about human Biotics. She should have done more research. "Until then they'd relied on accidentals. A bunch of guys in suits show up at your door after school and then the next thing you know you're out on Jump Zero." Jane had been so terrified about that before the raid. After the raid...Jump Zero wasn't as scary, but it had been closed down before the raid on Mindoir ever happened. 

"Jump Zero is Gagarin station, right? What's it like?" Jane asked. 

"Yeah, that's the official name. Biggest and farthest facility we had for decades. Right on the termination, the outer edge of the solar system. It's where they did all the goose chase FTL research before we caught on to using mass effect fields. It was a sterile research platform when I was there,” he said and Jane found that though depressing. 

"There were other kids in the same boat, right?" Jane asked. It would be awful to be out there alone, she had been happy in her biotic training. It had been such a relief to have others who were going through the same process she was. "At least you weren't alone out there." 

"That's true. We did have a little circle that would get together every night before lights out,” he said with a slight smile and Jane remembered her training. She had been treated carefully after the raid. She had been on special observation for almost a year before she was given all the same privileges as the other students. Most knew why but a few cocky bastards had learned the hard way that Jane was a lot tougher than her red hair and pale skin alluded to. "We didn't have much to do though. It was a research platform then and Conatix kept Jump Zero off the extranet to prevent leaks.”

"You were all teenagers, I'm sure you found other ways to occupy the time,” Jane teased, sipping on her beer. Jane had had friends, but romance hadn't played a part in her training...any of her training, biotic or Alliance. She had been pitied more than anything back during her own biotic training, while she had male friends; she never had a real boyfriend. She wondered if Kaidan had fared better. 

"I'm not the sort who does that kind of thing, Commander, not lightly anyway. There was a girl, I spent a lot of time with but we kept our clothes on. Rahna. She was from Turkey, her family was very rich but she was smart and...charming as hell, beautiful, but not stuck-up about it,” he said and Jane felt a slight twinge of jealousy. He cared about this Rahna, a first love. She didn't have that, those male friends had never given her the romantic time of day and while she thought some of them were good looking, and there was no romance. "Like you, I guess. Ma'am." Jane fought to keep her eyes from going wide. Did he mean she, Jane, wasn't stuck-up or did he mean...beautiful. Jane was so bad at romance; she hadn't been laid in...well to be honest...ever. Biotics who were known sole survivors of failed raids and failed missions weren't always getting the best suitors. She fought not to blush. 

"Sounds like she was special to you,” Jane said with a straight face, glade the lighting was so crappy while cursing her fair-red-headed skin with its paleness and ease at showing blushes. 

"She was, maybe she felt the same...but things never fell together during training you know,” Kaidan stated and Jane blinked at his briefness. 

"Jump Zero's a long way from home. What was it like?" Jane asked.

"The grand gateway to humanity looks a lot better in the vids, anyway, this was just supposed to be a casual debrief and not a long discussion about things that happened years ago,” Kaidan said.

"I wanted to get to know you a little better, that's all,” Jane said, trying to be casual. "Thanks for the talk, Kaidan." 

"Well, you're welcome, Ma'am,” he said before giving her a look. "You...uh...make it a habit of getting this personal with everyone?" She fought the blush and finished her beer.

"No, no I don't,” she stated before looking at him. "We'll talk again later." 

"I'll...uh...I'll need some time to process that, Commander,” he said and Jane felt her heart drop. Another man who just wanted to be friends...nothing more. Jane fought to keep her shoulders from sagging. "But...yeah...I'd like that." Jane was barely able to keep from jumping at that. She gave him what she hoped was a playful smile before she put her bottle away and headed to her room. Once the door closed behind her, Jane proceeded to smile brightly as she headed to the shower. Surprise, surprise, better not let John see her this happy, he'd be on that one too fast. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 19th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Leaving Pinnacle Station

"Well, it's nice to have the crazy cult leader off our ship,” John said as Jane leaned against the CDC next to him. 

"I've still not forgiven you for making me talk to the crazy biotic cult,” she stated and he smirked at her.

"Come on, it worked,” he stated and Jane rolled her eyes. 

"You do realize you are a gigantic bigot right?" she asked and he smiled.

"I am not, I am simply encouraging my baby sister to excel,” he stated and Jane stared at him.

"Fourteen minutes, John,” she sighed.

"Commanders, I know you love your bonding time, but we're picking up a distress signal coming out of the Hydra System,” Joker stated and Jane gave John a look. 

"You're the one coming on duty,” she said and John gave her a look.

"Another detour before we head to Noveria then. Set a course, Joker,” John ordered.

"Aye, aye, Sir,” he said. 

"One of these days, he's going to call you 'ma'am',” Jane stated and John grinned.

"I can't wait,” he chuckled. 

~*~*~

“See it there?” John pointed. Jane nodded looking over his shoulder.

“I see it,” Jane agreed. “Just like the distress beacon’s data indicated. It was a medical transport.”

"Not to state the obvious, but this...looks like a trap,” Wrex stated and Jane turned around to stare at him. "What?" 

"Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Jane stated and Ash quickly whispered something into the Krogan's ear.

"You're welcome, Sergeant Sarcasm,” he replied and Jane smirked at Ash while Kaidan chuckled.

"That's a human joke that I don't get,” Tali stated.

"Don't worry, I don't either,” Garrus stated. 

"It doesn't cross the dextro, levo amino acid thing,” John stated and Jane smacked his arm.

"Don't say crap like that, they'll think you are being honest,” Jane huffed as she got up and out of the Mako. "Okay, I don't like this more than anyone else. Ash, Garrus, we are going to take the hillsides and let the others go down to the crash site. 

"I am going on the record of saying, I think it is unwise to leave the armored vehicle,” Garrus stated.

"If you are that afraid you can let the human females take the sniper positions without you,” Jane stated and Garrus huffed.

"I said I wanted it on the record, I didn't say I wasn't going,” he shot back as the three snipers got out of the Mako. 

"I'm detecting mines,” Tali's voice called over the comms and Jane looked around. 

"We're getting out of the Mako and proceeding on foot,” John said as Jane got into position on a hill. She quickly lay on her stomach with her sniper rifle in position as she watched the group getting out of the tank. They weren't far from the crash when the Geth seemed to jump out from the ground. 

~*~*~

"Ambush!" John cried and Garrus and Ash began firing. Jane fired at the optics before she saw the laser line of a Geth sniper’s rifle. It landed on the back of John's head. Jane had him in her scope but there wasn't time to take out the Geth aiming at him. She quickly aimed low and fired. The shot caught John in the back of the knee, bringing him flat to the ground on his back as the Geth’s shot flew over him. Jane quickly looked and saw the targeting laser of the Geth, searching. She quickly continued firing.

“Commander!” Liara screamed, getting up to run for him.

“I’m alright, stay the fuck down!” John roared. Liara jerked and Tali tugged on her hand to pull her down next to her. 

“John you okay?” Jane asked over the comms as the gun battle raged.

“I’ll live, my shields were weak and it punched through. My armor took the brunt of it but when you find the Geth who shot me, save him for me,” John growled. Jane smiled as she saw John roll onto his stomach and open fire from the ground with his assault rifle.

“Uh, about that John….”

~*~*~

"You shot me..." John glared as Jane drove. 

"Better me than the Geth. That would have killed you,” Jane stated. 

"Wait, you were the one who shot the Commander?" Kaidan asked and Jane nodded.

"A Geth sniper was targeting his head. I wouldn't have been able to get the sniper before it took its shot on John. It was either shoot John or bury him," Jane said.

"You made the right choice,” Wrex stated.

"I knew that already,” Jane stated.

"You shot me..." John repeated.

"He gets a little bit of amnesia when he's been shot,” Jane explained.

"I've never heard of that,” Tali stated.

"It sounds like another joke,” Liara sighed.

"You shot me..." John said a third time as the Mako headed to the rendezvous point. 

~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle's Author's Note: I'm sorry for all the copied lines from movies, I just couldn't help myself with the "Why so serious" line. I just...I couldn't not write that. In fact, I'm not sorry for that line...it was my favorite line from this entire chapter.


	5. Family Confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepards are off to Noveria, the icy planet where the weather is more welcoming than the administration. The team clears out corrupt officials and officers before taking on the challenges of Peak 15. The final confrontation between Matriarch Benezia and Liara occurs and the fate of the Rachni Queen is made. Will she live as a potential threat or will the song of the rachni be returned to the silent memories?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: June 15th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, 

 

“How long till we reach Noveria?” John asked Joker as he came up behind the pilot. Joker turned his head towards one of his two Commanders, smirking.

“Seven hours, sir.” Joker said and then paused for a moment, his smirk widening. “Sooooo…does your sister shoot you often?”

John muttered something as Jane’s laughter preceded the woman as she came up behind her brother.

“Better a concussion round to the back of his knee rather than a round through his skull.” Jane said, smirking.

“You’re enjoying this too much.” John muttered and then winced when Jane punched his shoulder, making him shift his weight to his left leg. 

“Of course, now I’ve shot you twice.” Jane said happily. “You still haven’t hit me once.”

“You’ve shot him before?” Ash asked as she and Kaidan also arrived in the pilot area, Kaidan taking his seat to help Joker.

“Do we really need to bring this up?” John grumbled.

“Oh it was nothing major.” Jane said, ignoring her brother. “During our last war simulation in N-school we were in a tough spot. It was free for all for all the squads. We had a flawless war record the entire time and everyone decided to team up and take us out before going at each other. Our instructors later told us that had never happened before.”

“Sounds like you Shepards have always worked well together.” Garrus said as he came up with Tali and Wrex in tow.

“Why the hell don’t we tell this story over the comms? Complete my humiliation?” John snarled trying to stop Jane. He was promptly ignored.

“Something like that, Garrus.” Jane explained. “Our other squad members mostly just rode our coattails. They didn’t work as well with us as you guys.” 

“So what happened next?” Tali piped up. 

“Well John had a great idea of using a decoy to draw the squads into a kill zone. Problem was someone had to be the bait. In the spirit of fairness I suggested we draw straws.” 

“Oh I can see where this is headed.” Kaidan laughed.

“So when John drew the short straw-”

“I swear you cheated somehow.” John grumbled.

“-he opened fire on the squads as they passed by from the small clearing he had chosen. It had a couple of decent size rocks for a hiding place after he lured them. So after John drew them with some guerilla tactics, they took the bait, rushing into the clearing and we opened fire. The problem was one squad had a sniper who was almost as good a shot as me.” Jane explained.

“That good?” Wrex said, surprised. Jane nodded.

“He also had a nasty habit of covering himself in vegetation and other camouflage. So eventually the opposing sniper was the only one left. Every time John would try to get out of cover, this guy was getting closer and closer to hitting him. After about two hours of this John broke for the tree line-” 

“You told me over the comms I was clear!” John cut in but Jane ignored him again.

“-and I saw this tree branch shift. A round hit John, making his shields drop but it gave me a perfect direction for the sniper’s location. A tree trunk was in the way, however, so as John was running towards us and the tree line I fired a concussion round in his general area to make John go for cover. I didn’t scope the shot, firing from reflex mostly. So the round actually hit John square in the crotch.”

All of the male squad members winced and shifted slightly, except for John who snarled. The female squad members all smiled slightly.

“So did it work?” Ashley asked. 

“Sort of. John fell to the ground screaming bloody murder since his shields hadn’t re-charged yet and the sniper actually broke radio silence to call for a medic. I broke position to get a better angle and took the shot. We won with the first ever perfect War Game record in N-school history.”

“And I spent a week afterwards on bed rest with my boys swollen to the size of-” John began to snap.

“We don’t need the details, Commander.” Joker cut in, smiling but looking a bit green at the thought.

“Fine! I’m going to get some rest since I have duty in five hours.” John snarled, trying to stomp off but the effect was ruined as his still aching knee caused him to limp.

~ * ~ * ~

"So, he hasn't gotten revenge yet?" Ash asked and Jane smirked as she watched John hobble off. 

"No, after all, I gave him the trophy after we won," she stated. "I also told him that as the older twin, he should be the one holding on to it." 

"That is downright evil," Garrus chuckled. 

"Don't ever tell John, but when he dropped, I wasn't paying attention to where I had hit him since I didn't scope it," Jane confessed. "I didn't realize how serious that injury was until after we were announced the winners. I owed him that trophy and, God knows, he definitely earned it with that plan and that injury." 

"Remind me to watch my back so you never have to shoot me to save me," Garrus muttered. 

"I swear, if ever it comes down to it, I promise, I will shoot you so that you won't die," Jane grinned and Garrus chuckled. 

"Have I mentioned how I have no desire to be part of a ground team?" Joker stated.

"Just with me or overall, because you have not lived until you have been in a Mako with my brother or me driving," Jane stated.

"Yeah, I've heard the stories," he stated. 

"John can get it up on two wheels," Jane chuckled.

"Yeah, Garrus told me, those were the front two," Joker remarked snidely and Jane laughed. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Dr. Chakwas are you here?” John asked. It was about an hour till his shift started and another three till they arrived at Noveria. He had hoped that his knee would have been better with a few hours more of rest but now the pain was beginning to spread and the knee had become stiff. He wanted to be in top shape for what they found on Noveria and he had to deal with this now. However the med bay was empty. 

“Damn it, I shouldn’t have brushed her off right after the mission.” John muttered. The door to the back office opened and Liara emerged, surprised.

“Commander. Dr. Chakwas said she needed some sleep so she’s in her assigned sleeper pod. Should I wake her?” The Asari asked. John winced but shook his head.

“No I’ll just deal with it. My knee is feeling worse I wanted her take a look at it.” John explained. Liara frowned and moved forward to help him. John winced as he tried to put pressure on his left leg. “Damn, it's getting a lot worse.”

“Here let me help, Commander. I have basic medical training.” Liara said. John shot her a grateful look and let her lead him to one of the beds.

“Thank you.” John said and Liara smiled at him as she grabbed a nearby scanner.

“You’re very similar to some Turian officers I’ve met, Commander. They didn’t want their crews to know how badly they’re hurt either.” Liara said, running the scanner along his leg. 

“It's John.” He reminded her, making Liara blush. “No offense but you’re not military. I’d rather you called me what my friends do.”

“Are we friends?” Liara asked hesitantly, before turning her attention to the scanner when it beeped to indicate it was finished.

“I’d like to think so.” John replied. “None of my crew know about the talks we have. It's nice to have someone onboard to talk to.” 

“I’m glad to have you as a friend then.” Liara said, smiling. Her smile turned to a frown as she read the results on the scanner. “You have deep tissue bruising on your knee and a hairline fracture on the bone just below your knee. I can treat both but you’ll have to keep your leg elevated for half an hour afterwards.”

John sighed in relief. “That’s good news, I was worried I’d have to sit this mission out. I wanted to be there when you confront your mother.”

“You do?” Liara asked, shooting him a surprised look before turning her attention back to preparing the shot. John sighed again and rolled up his pant leg. He saw Liara’s eyes go wide as he did so and couldn’t help blushing a bit.

“I don’t know what your relationship is like with your mother but if it was me I’d like someone there if I had to do something like this.” John explained. He winced as Liara gently turned his leg to disinfect the back of his knee. He wasn’t surprised to see the area was discolored.

“You wouldn’t have your sister there?” Liara asked. John winced as Liara used the injection gun. There was a dull clunk as it fired the solution into his leg. John winced but then sighed in relief as the pain began to ebb right after the injection.

“On days like today? Not one bit.” John grumbled. Liara gave a little laugh as she began to put the supplies away. John rolled his pant leg back down, before scooting up the bed to put his back against the wall. He took the pillow and put it under his leg to raise it up.

“I understand. Ashley came down earlier to share the story of when Jane shot you before.” Liara said. John groaned.

“Of course she did. By this time tomorrow the Council should be reading it in a transcription.” John grumbled. Liara shook her head but she was smiling.

“I don’t think that will happen.” Liara ventured. John snorted.

“I hope not. I love Jane, she’s one of the best sisters someone could have but she loves to tell humiliating stories. A perfect example is when we went out celebrate our graduation from N-school and we achieved our N1 designations. I had a date who she relished in telling the story about when she caught me when I was thirteen skinny dipping with her friend Katie.” 

“Skinny dipping?” Liara asked, not familiar with the term. John sighed.

“Swimming naked, together.” He explained and Liara’s eyes got wide.

“Oh my.” Liara said and giggled. John rolled his eyes but smiled. 

“Yes, well what can I say, I was a stupid farm hick. I had to do something fun.”

“Unfortunately, I have no siblings that I know about. So no one besides my mother ever caught me doing something potentially embarrassing.” Liara explained as she finished cleaning the medical supplies and putting them away. John watched her as she sat down in a chair nearby and started a timer.

“Really you have no one?” John asked. Liara bit her lip for a moment.

“I never knew my other parent, what you call my father.” Liara explained. “Since I am the offspring of two Asari, I’m known as a Pure Blood. We’re frowned upon because of a spreading belief that for variety in our species you should only have offspring with non-Asari species.”

“I’m sorry Liara. My world had similar issues not too long ago. My people used to have racial slurs used at them if they came from different regions of our planet, even if they had different color hair, eyes or skin. Some people even still use them today.” 

“I think every species has a bit of that ugliness. When I was growing up I thought my other parent wasn’t there because of what I was. My mother never wanted to talk about her.” Liara explained.

“That might not be the case Liara. She could have been killed or hurt before you were born. It might have been too painful for Benezia to think about, let alone talk about it.”  
Liara was silent for a few minutes before sighing softly. “I had not thought about it in those terms before.” She admitted.

“Anyway, time for a topic change. How is your training with Ashley and Jane progressing? Are you and Tali picking it up quickly?” John aksed and Liara giggled.

“Ashley says I am a natural. With my biotics Jane says that I…”

~ * ~ * ~

"Commander, I have collected as much information as I could about Noveria," Tali stated as she approached Jane on the bridge. The young quarian handing the Commander a datapad. Jane looked it over and sighed before giving Tali a look. "They have very good security." 

"I can see, this is...not good. I don't like going in with so little information," Jane sighed.

"No offense, Commander, but isn't this whole mission running on low intelligence about the enemy?" Tali asked and Jane nodded. 

"That it is, I don't like the whole thing, but liking it and completing it are two completely different matters. I may not like having to do this, but I will complete this mission to the best of my abilities. Just for safety precautions I prefer to have a little more knowledge. I suppose we have to work with what we have. Thank you, Tali, this was very helpful. Have you learned anything from working with Adams?" Jane asked, giving the datapad another glance. 

"Yes, he is a very talented Engineer and being on a ship like the Normandy is amazing, the Flotilla is not nearly close to this technology," Tali said happily. 

"As long as I don't hear about Flotilla ships starting to resemble the Normandy," Jane teased with a smile and Tali chuckled.

"No, we could never use our resources this way, but it is a beautiful ship. I am honored to get to help maintain her, even for a temporary basis," Tali said and Jane patted Tali's shoulder.

"It is a pleasure to have you serve under us, even if it is just for your pilgrimage," Jane said before Tali started off. Jane placed a finger to her comm.

"Postle, I need you to check our stock. Do we have any Devlon Industries armor on the ship?" Jane asked. 

"Actually, we have a few Commander. We even got a Turian thermal set by accident," Postle said over the comms. 

"You knew that off the top of your head?" Jane asked.

"No, I only remembered it because of the Turian armor, I was going to switch them out once we got back to the Citadel," he said. 

"Don't, how many sets do we have for humans?" Jane asked. 

"Two heavy, one medium, and two light, plus that one turian one," he replied. Jane made a face, she hated Medium armor, but she could use it, begrudgingly. 

"Prep that, put the heavies into John Shepard and Williams' lockers, put the lights into T'Soni and Alenko's lockers, make sure that turian is in Vakarian's locker, and put that medium into mine," Jane ordered. 

"Can do, ma'am," Postle said. "Begging your pardon, ma'am, but don't you prefer light?" 

"We need as much of the team prepped for exterior conditions on Noveria as we can. As we stand we can't give Wrex or Tali the protection I'd like them to have," Jane sighed. "I can live with medium armor, it's not my preferred, but I have trained with it. It won't affect me as badly as it will Liara. Kaidan didn't go through weapons training, so he has no experience with medium armor, that's dangerous. I have the training, I'll go with the medium armor." 

"You're the Commander on deck," Postle said and Jane nodded as she looked at Joker. 

"What?" he cried.

"I'm going to tell him now," Jane replied.

"I wasn't going to say anything," Joker stated.

"Yeah and while you weren't saying anything you were going to Irish dance around the cockpit," Jane teased and Joker snorted.

"That'll be the day," he muttered. Jane headed down to the infirmary. She opened the door and John shot her a glare. 

"Better than a hole in the head and you know it, John," Jane said and John sighed.

"I know, I don't have to like it," he muttered. 

"We have some Devlon armor in stock," Jane stated and John gave her a look.

"That's...surprising," he muttered. 

"I got us the contract while I was on the Presidium, we don't know what we are looking at and Devlon's armor has the best rating on all environmental hazards," Jane shrugged. 

"What's the bad news?" John asked with a look and Jane smirked.

"How do you know there's bad news?" she asked and he looked at the time. 

"I'm not on duty yet and you are letting me know about the armor situation," he said and Jane smirked more. 

"We had one medium armor and an accidental Turian armor," Jane stated. 

"How many lights did we get?" John asked and Jane held up two fingers. "You're doing this in medium armor." 

"I have trained with it before John, I can do it," she stated.

"How many of the team do we have armor for?" he asked. 

"If I go medium, the only ones in the cold are Tali and Wrex," Jane stated and John stared for a moment. 

"You still snipe better than most in medium armor," John muttered and Jane smirked. 

"Just wanted you to know," she stated as she turned and headed out of the infirmary. "Also, aren't you glad I aimed lower this time?" John glared at her just before the door closed behind her. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Approach control, this is the SSV Normandy. Requesting a vector and berth.” Joker said into the comms. John stood behind the pilot, dressed in full Devlon armor with his arms crossed. The squad was waiting along behind him, while Jane was busy talking with Liara.

“Normandy, your arrival was not scheduled. Our defense grind is armed and tracking you. State your business.” The Noveria flight controller responded. John raised an eyebrow as he started tapping the fingers of his right hand on his left arm.

“Citadel business. We’ve got two Council Spectres on board.” Joker retorted.

“Transmit both our Spectre identification, Joker.” John said. Joker nodded and typed away at the console sending the identification package the Council had given them shortly after their induction ceremony.

“Data received. Access granted Normandy. Be advised we will be confirming identification on arrival. If confirmation cannot be established, your vessel will be impounded.” The controller said, before the comm signal shut off.

“What fun bunch.” Joker snarked, as he guided the Normandy into dock. “I think I’ll take my next shore leave here.” John shook his head and headed for the airlock as the Normandy shuddered as the docking clamps latched on.

“Let’s go people.” John said. The way the Noveria controller had been talking John half expected to find a squad waiting for them at the Normandy’s airlock. As they headed down the walkway, they found the afore mentioned squad waiting for them by the entrance the facility.

“That’s far enough.” A human woman of Asian descent said. By her side was a blonde woman and male Turian. All three were dressed in what appeared to standard issue armor. John stopped as did everyone else.

“We’re here on important business.” Jane said, moving to stand beside her brother.

“This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials.” The woman replied.

“We’re willing to cooperate.” John said. He transmitted his identification to the woman via his omnitool, Jane doing the same. “I’m a Spectre, my name is John Shepard. And this is Jane Shepard, she’s also a Sepctre.”

“What load of horse crap, ma’am.” The blonde woman spoke up. John frowned.

“Well these documents appear to prove what he’s saying is true.” The Asian woman said. “I’m Captain Matsuo. Welcome to Noveria, Spectres. May I ask what your business is here?”

“We’re here to escort Liara T’Soni to meet with her mother, Benezia T’Soni.” Jane chimed in. John smirked. So that’s what she was talking to Liara about earlier. “Ms. Williams and Mr. Vakarian are with me. Ms. Rayya and Mr. Alenko are with my brother. And Urdnot Wrex is Ms. T’Soni’s personal body guard.”

“That’s a lot of firepower for escorting a VIP.” Captain Matsuo said, eying them suspiciously.

“My mother always traveled with a squad of Asari Commandos. How is this any different?” Liara questioned. 

“Yes, well.” Matsuo said, caught off guard. “If you’ll just head up these stairs Parisseani-san will meet with you to go over the rules and regulations here.”

“Thank you.” John said, brushing by the captain. Jane shot them a smirk as the squad moved past them.

“Nicely done.” John said and Jane shrugged.

“It seemed to be the right way to play it. Otherwise not all of us would have made in through security.”

~ * ~ * ~

The group approached the security desk and the Shepards shared a look at the intense security. 

"I am Giana Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the strict welcome in the docking bay," the woman behind the counter stated. 

"I appreciate your help," John said with a smile and Jane fought the urge to smirk. Her brother batting those baby blues at the ladies, she never stopped being amused when he failed. 

"You're welcome. You understand our security chief was only doing her job," Parasini said. "One of my duties is orientation of new arrivals. Do you have any questions?"

"Pretty heavy security for such a small port," Jane stated and Parasini gave her a look. Jane couldn't help but like Parasini, she didn't seem fazed by John's friendly personality, nor did she seem offended by Jane's frankness. 

"The Executive Board does everything in its power to protect the privacy of our client corporations," Parasini stated, but something about it sounded rehearsed, like an official line to feed to curious minds. 

"We don't want to step on any toes while we're here," John stated and Parasini nodded.

"Tread lightly. The Board can bury you in litigation. You'd need an asari lawyer to see the case through," Parasini stated.

"Does she mean for complexity or duration?" Garrus muttered and Jane, coughed to cover a laugh. 

"Duration," Liara stated, clearly missing the joke causing Ash to snort. 

"We are trying to bring Dr. T'Soni here to meet with her mother. We were told Matriarch Benezia was here. How far behind her are we?" Jane asked. 

"Lady Benezia passed through just a few days ago," Parasini stated looking curious herself. 

"She is still here?" Liara quickly asked and Parasini nodded.

"We would like to rendezvous with her, would that be possible?" John asked. 

"Benezia left for the Peak 15 research complex days ago. To the best of my knowledge, she's still there," Parasini said with a shrug. 

"Could you tell us how to get there?" Jane asked and Parasini smirked. Something about that worried Jane.

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this port," she said and Jane felt something problematic was coming their way. 

"Where can we find the administrator?" Jane asked and Parasini smiled. 

"His office is on the main level. Left at the top of the elevator," she said and Jane felt this would be a memorable meeting. 

"Can you let us in now?" John asked and Parasini nodded.

"Of course. If you need any help, you can ask me at the administrator's office," she stated. 

"John, you should take Liara and your group, I'll go see about getting our clearance," Jane stated and the two groups split. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Well, this is exciting.” Wrex grumbled from where he was leaning against the wall. John rolled his eyes but said nothing as he continued waiting for Jane to finished her meeting with Anoleis.

“Sorry Wrex but whenever we can we have to try the diplomatic route.” John said. Wrex huffed but said nothing else. John turned to check on Kaidan and Tali. Tali herself seemed to be taking her lessons to heart and was keeping a careful eye from the bench she was sitting. Kaidan himself was sitting next to her, checking something on his omni-tool. John turned to his left where Liara was standing close by. The Asari was biting her lip, clearly conflicted about something.

“Everything okay, Liara?” John asked her quietly. Liara hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath before speaking.

“Shepard, I-I can't believe she's really here. I imagine you want to talk to me, Shepard. About my mother.” Liara said. John smiled and shook his head.

“No, I don't. I trust you, Liara. You may not be military, but you're part of my crew.” John replied. Liara seemed surprised and then she sighed in relief.

“Thank you, Shepard. That means a great deal to me.” Liara shared. John grinned at her.

“Now all you have to do is convince my sister. She may have to shoot you a few times with training rounds.”

Liara stared at him in shock for a few moments before she burst out laughing.

~ * ~ * ~

"I hate bureaucrats," Ash muttered as they entered.

"Join the club," Jane replied. "Now smile and act pleasant." 

"Will do," Ash said.

"Do I have to smile?" Garrus asked and Jane gave him a look.

"Be pleasant," she replied. 

"How may I help you," Parasini asked as they approached.

"I'd like to speak to Anoleis now," Jane stated. 

"One moment, please. Mr. Anoleis?" Parasini called over her comm. 

"Yes. What? What!" a voice impatiently demanded. Jane noted it was clearly Salarian and she shot a look to Garrus and Ash, both nodded. 

"Commander Jane Shepard is asking to see you, sir," Parasini stated. 

"Fine! Fine! Send her in," the voice did not sound happy and Parasini indicated with a hand for the group to go ahead. They entered and Jane noted the unique coloring of the salarian. 

"You will excuse me if I don't stand up," Anoleis snapped and Jane got the distinct feeling that she was unwelcomed. "I have no time to entertain colonial rubes." Jane nearly laughed at that. Salarians could be rude at times, but that...that was intentional. She smiled and put on her sweetest farm girl smile. 

"I'm here as a Spectre, not as a human. Keep that in mind," she said and she could practically feel the shock from Ash and Garrus. Jane wasn't going to fall into this bureaucrat's trap and she would counter him with as much raw sugar as she could, just to let him know, she was on to his lies. 

"Believe me, that is foremost in my mind," Anoleis stated, his eyes narrowed on Jane. He had heard she was quick with a trigger, he had overlooked her analytical ability, clearly. "This greeting is a courtesy. I will only cooperate as required by the Executive Board. Businesses come here to avoid the second-guessing of galactic law. I will not allow you to harass our clients. This world is private property." Jane smiled wider, he was covering up something. This whole planet was probably filled with illegal activity. Wonderful. 

"I am working an escort mission currently. I am trying to take Dr. Liara T'Soni to meet with her mother, Matriarch Benezia. We came here because we were informed she was here," Jane said.

"She arrived a few days ago, accompanied by a personal escort and some cargo. She is up at Peak 15," Anoleis stated. 

"Do you happen to know what brought her out here?" Jane asked. 

"If I knew, I wouldn't be at liberty to say. She came here as Agent Saren's executor," Anoleis stated and Jane's interest went up. "She's here on business for Binary Helix. There were issues at Peak 15 that required Saren's attention." Jane wanted to press more about Saren, but decided to go on for a moment about Benezia...particularly any weaponry she might have. 

"What can you tell me about her cargo?" Jane asked. 

"Large, heavy, and sealed. It passed weapons screening. Beyond that is not our concern," Anoleis said and Jane suspected that it was probably weaponry. 

"What do you mean "personal escort? I only ask due to Dr. T'Soni's safety," Jane stated and Anoleis snorted.

"The phrase is self-explanatory. Bodyguards attending to the safety of her person. Mainly asari commandos," he stated and Garrus scoffed. 

"Really, did they pass weapons screening?" he asked and Jane gave him a look. 

"They followed all our regulations. I had no reason to forbid Lady Benezia from taking them," Anoleis looked annoyed. 

"We would like to bring Dr. T'Soni to her mother, immediately." 

"I'm afraid that you cannot. Peak 15 is a private facility in the Skadi Mountains. Regardless, there is a blizzard in the area. Shuttles are grounded, and surface access has been cut off," Anoleis stated and Jane fought the urge to frown but instead made her face overly curious.

"Do you regularly do business with Saren?" she asked. 

"That's right, he's one of your Spectre compatriots. He's a major investor in Binary Helix corporation, which is one of Noveria's backers," Anoleis stated and Jane mentally smirked. So Saren was very involved with Binary Helix. 

"Is Binary Helix developing weapons for him?" Jane asked doing her best to make it look like professional competition. 

"It's possible, given his interests. What our clients do in their labs is their business," Anoleis stated and Jane fought the urge to smile. Saren was developing weaponry, good to know, time to let John in on developments. It was going to be hard to get to Peak 15. They needed to regroup. 

"I guess we will have to wait then," Jane stated before turning around, well aware that Ash and Garrus were not pleased with this. As they were preparing to go Parasini looked at Jane.

"Commander Shepard...a moment?" she called. "You've never worked in the corporate world, have you, Commander? You can't bludgeon through bureaucracy." Jane smiled and nodded.

"So it would seem," she sighed before looking at Parasini. "I need an alternative." Parasini smiled before leaning over.

"Talk to Lorik Qui'in. You should be able to find him at the hotel bar," she suggested. "Can't say more. Not within earshot of Mr. Anoleis." Jane nodded before heading out to meet with John. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Where’s John?” Jane asked. Kaidan rolled his eyes and gestured. Jane turned and saw John talking with a Hanar in an alcove not too far away with Liara and Wrex by him.

“That Hanar waved him over earlier as we were waiting. He asked Tali and I to wait for you.” Kaidan explained. Jane shot John a curious look as the little pow-wow seemed to break up and John came stomping over to them.

“A bad meeting?” Jane asked, amused. “Benezia is on Peak 15, getting there will be a challenge, but I have a lead on that. We need to meet a Lorik Qui’in in a bar on the next floor.” 

“It wasn’t worth it.” John explained as they followed Jane. “Just some stupid Hanar who thought Spectres were also smugglers. He wanted me to sneak a package past security with my security clearance.”

"Huh...Hanar smugglers, will wonders never cease. I thought those guys were super religious, I guess the Enkindlers are okay with breaking the law then," Jane chuckled. Ash began to cough like she wasn’t trying not to laugh.

“Yeah well I’d rather not. The last thing I need is to sneak in a package and find out, ‘Oh you snuck in a terrorist bomb!’ or some stupid crap like that.” John snarled.

Jane just chuckled.

~ * ~ * ~

“My group will talk to this guy. You guys wait here.” Jane said not waiting for a response as she headed over to a Turian sitting by himself at a small table.

"Afternoon. Sit down, have a drink. What can I do for you?" Lorik purred and Jane blinked for a moment. An overly friendly turian...she thought Garrus was weird with being friendly period, maybe he wasn't in comparison. 

"Are you Lorik Qui'in? I've heard you might be able to help me?" Jane said and was shocked with the turian's eyes played over her body. Was he...was he checking her out? It took all her will power not to give Garrus a look to verify that. 

"You are the Spectre that just arrived...one of the set I should say. What could an old turian like me possibly help you with?" he asked. Jane wondered if it was just in her head but he was staring at her waist absently. Garrus coughed and Lorik's eyes moved up to meet Jane's. That was weird...that was really weird. She would definitely be asking Garrus about that later. 

"I'm trying to find a way into the garage. I have places to go," Jane said and Lorik looked pleased.

"You need a pass. How foruitous," Lorik purred as he indicated that Jane sit. She did and he studied her face. "I'm the manager of the local Synthetic Insights office. For the moment, at least. Mr. Anoleis closed my office. He claims to be investigating reports of my corruption. The administrator is an interesting man. He has become quite wealthy since he took direct control of rents." Jane lent forward. 

"I sense a connection there," she stated and Lorik smirked before leaning closer to her. 

"Indeed," he purred. "I acquired evidence of Anoleis' actions. His hired goons are ransacking my office to find it. I suspect your goal lies outside this port. Mr. Anoleis would be disinclined to let you wander. If you recover the evidence from my office, I will give you my garage pass, as well as a sum of credits." Jane smirked, getting Anoleis in trouble sounded fun. 

"You have a plan?" she asked and Lorik purred.

"I do. However, there is one other - what is that charming human expression? "Fly in the lotion?" Violence against Mr. Anoleis' thugs may be necessary. He has members of Hanshan's security team searching my offices," Lorik stated and Jane wanted to chuckle at the lotion and ointment mistake but a shot at Anoleis and his corrupt group was more tempting. "He is paying them under the table. Ms. Matsuo is unaware of their outside employment." Jane nodded.

"I'll focus on trying to get your evidence. If I'm lucky, I won't have to fight anyone," Jane sighed, she was rarely lucky when it came to this scenario. 

"Excellent. Here is my pass into our offices. It will activate the elevator," Lorik stated offering a card to Jane between his two fingers. As Jane took the card Lorik's thumb ran over her fingers as she pulled it out of his hand. She nearly jumped as she locked eyes with him. "The evidence is on my office computer. This OSD contains an encryption key to access it. Slide it into the drive and it will auto-execute." Jane didn't want to take it so she held out her hand. He slid his talons over her palm before dropping it into her hand. Oh yeah, this was flirting. Poor Lorik had no idea he was not only flirting with a human who could barely flirt with other humans, but he was also flirting with a human who had never even considered flirting with a turian. Jane nodded at him before heading back to John. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Well that was interesting.” Jane stated, amusement hidden in her voice. John shot Garrus a look.

“What happened?” John asked. Garrus shifted uncomfortably. 

“He hit on me.” Jane chuckled. John jerked as if he was struck and made choking sound.

“That’ll teach you ask questions when your sister did the interrogating, Skipper.” Ashley said, laughing.

“This way we have to go to his office to get some OSDs.” Jane said, leading the way. It was silent for a few minutes as everyone seemed to be gathering their thoughts.

“Well, if he’s not acceptable mate why didn’t you shoot him or at least stab him?” Wrex asked in sincere curiosity.

Tali shot the Krogan a shocked look as Kaidan and Ashley both burst out laughing. John covered his eyes with the palm of one hand and Garrus looked at Jane in alarm.

“Wrex,” Liara began gently, “...human females don’t do that to males who offend them like your females do.” Garrus sighed in relief.

“Ah.” Wrex said. It was silent for a few moments longer as the elevator reached the bottom and they headed for Qui’in’s office. “Maybe she should start and set an example for other human females?”

"I'm not that bad," Jane muttered, blushing slightly.

"You shot me recently," John pointed out.

"You are my brother, you don't count anyway," Jane huffed.

~ * ~ * ~ 

The group exited the elevator and blinked when they saw the two security officers. 

"Freeze! Hanshan security. This office is sealed," the woman stated and Jane raised an eyebrow as she approached. Sometimes honest was the best policy. 

"Lorik Qui'in gave me a pass in," Jane stated and the woman blinked before sharing a look with her turian coworker. 

"Qui'in? Are you working for him? He's under investigation," the woman stated and Jane smirked. 

"Anoleis is paying you to shake this place down. Does Captain Matsuo know you're here?" Jane asked and the guard backtracked.

"Hey, I'm not the one who wants Qui'in. Anoleis has a varren up his ass about this guy," she stated. "How about this? You pretend you didn't see us, we'll pretend we didn't see you." She walked toward the elevator. The group watched her leave.

"I never get tired of seeing you clear away guards without firing a shot," John chuckled. 

"It's a gift," Jane stated. "You stay here and intercept any backup and I'll take Garrus and Ash to get the data." 

"Done," John stated and the three headed up the steps. Toward the office.

"Okay, I'm just coming out and saying it, that dude was a freaky turian," Ash stated and Jane nodded.

"I'm pretty sure he wanted to get freaky with me...but I keep hoping I just don't understand turian body language," Jane stated as she opened the door to the office. The two women looked at Garrus. 

"What? Do I look like I understand the inner workings of all turian minds?" he asked and the women shared a look.

"You are a male turian," Jane pointed out as she approached the computer.

"You also did that cough people do when someone else is doing something rude," Ash pointed out.

"He was oogling...in public...my commanding officer," Garrus huffed. 

"He was staring at my waist," Jane stated. 

"What else would...wait...what would a human male oggle then?" Garrus asked and the two women shared a look. "You know, never mind. I don't want to talk about this anymore." 

"Whatever he was staring at...is mine nice?" Jane asked and Ash snorted a laugh. "Wouldn't you want to know?" 

"I guess," Ash chuckled. "I just never considered showing off my attractive to turian bits before."

"Will you two stop this horrifying line of conversation if I answer?" Garrus groaned.

"Yes," both human women chirped.

"Yes to both of you, it was rude and I don't want to think too much about it...it's just...deviant," Garrus muttered. Guns were fired below.

"Some of the dirty guards, not an issue," John's voice called over the comms and the two women shared a look.

"Would you date a turian?" Jane asked.

"I never thought about interspecies dating," Ash stated and Garrus groaned by the door. "What about you?" 

"I'm a biotic, asari are on us like flies on shit. They love biotic humans...unfortunately for them, I'm not into asari," Jane stated.

"Liara must be so disappointed," Ash teased.

"Doubt it," Garrus muttered and the two human women shared a look before laughing. "Ugh...humans." 

~ * ~ * ~

“Do all missions usually turn out like this? A lot of sneaking around and waiting for things to get done?” Tali asked. John shrugged. He was leaning against the wall as they wait for Jane, Garrus and Ash to finish getting the data from Qui’in’s office. 

“Only the good ones.” John said. “To be honest I like to avoid firefights if I can. The less I get into, the more chance my squad has of making it home alive.”

“Yes but it doesn’t make the job fun.” Wrex grumbled as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the blonde woman from the docking bay leading a squad of heavily armed men.

“You may get your wish, Wrex.” John muttered, pushing away from the wall. He tapped the inside of his left wrist with his fingers, click one way comm channel to his sister.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here Shepard.” The blonde snarled.

~ * ~ * ~

Jane was pulling the OSD off the computer when her mic clicked on and the three snipers quickly went into work mode. They shared a look. Garrus quickly pushed the door to manual, Jane put her rifle up to her shoulder as Ash and Garrus opened the door. It was silent. They quickly dropped down and moved onto the walkway. Jane pointed up at the ceiling, the glass skylights showed a blurry view but it was easy enough to identify the enemy in their black armor. Jane indicated that Ash stay on the walkway while she and Garrus continued. Jane tapped Garrus on the shoulder and indicated he go to the top of the stairs before she moved to the edge of the balcony. 

~ * ~ * ~

“And what of it?” John asked. He raised his hands up is a friendly gestured but made sure his left hand had all of the fingers pressed together with no gaps. “You have me at a disadvantage miss..?”

“Oh now you’re going to show some respect? I’m Sergeant Kaira Stirling, Elanus Risk Control Services. Anoleis would just put you off world, but not me. Do you know what we do to cop killers?” Kaira snarled.

“Your guys were here because of bribe money. You expect us to feel bad for stopping you?” Tali snapped.

“John we have them insight. Just give us a signal.” Jane replied over the comms and John smirked.

“I didn’t want to fight them they fired first. Besides you really should be worried about yourselves first.” John retorted.

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Kaira snarled and blinked as she saw the lights from a sniper’s scope settle on her and her squad.

“You have two options.” John explained. “Either you surrender now and go to jail or I let my sister give you a new hole in your head. You have ten seconds to decide.”

“I don’t need to decide, op-” In the middle of her retorted John made a fist with his left hand. Jane, Ash, and Garrus’s rifles roared and the squad dropped. 

~ * ~ * ~

"Can we please go now," Garrus sighed as the group from upstairs came down and John gave Jane a look. 

"We are just talking about human-turian relations, which moved into human-asari relations," Jane stated.

"Oh fascinating area of discussion. I would be more than happy to add what I know to the discourse," Liara stated and Ash and Jane began to laugh while Garrus glared at them. 

"Liara...I don't think it was about what you think it was about," John stated, giving Jane a warning look. 

"I don't get it," Tali stated. 

"Neither does Liara," Kaidan chuckled. 

"I'd love to bring in Krogan relations," Wrex purred and Jane and Ash were laughing as they entered the elevator. 

"Please, I want to work with anyone but them," Garrus stated to John as he followed him into the elevator.

"I want to know what this is about," John stated and Garrus shook his head. 

"Trust me...you don't," he muttered. 

~ * ~ * ~

As the group exited the elevator Parasini was waiting for them.

"Commanders. There've been reports of noise from the Synthetic Insights office. Would you know anything about it?" she asked.

"Probably Anoleis' thugs ripping that place apart," Jane suggested helpfully and Parasini gave her a look.

"Smartass, hm? That's fine. I can work with that," Parasini stated. "Meet me at the hotel for a drink, before you talk to Qui'in. I'll be waiting." She marched off and there was a look between John and Jane. 

"We got the pass through Qui'in right?" John asked and Jane smirked.

"I want to see what Parasini is bringing to the table," she replied. 

"Fine," John sighed and the two led the way to the bar. Parasini was sitting by a table. "Keep it so Qui'in doesn't see us." 

"Done," Wrex stated. 

"I'm worried that he volunteered," Jane stated absently. 

"So am I, let's talk," John stated and the twins moved to the table. Parasini gave them a calculated look.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself. Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs," she stated and Jane grinned.

"Oh...I like where this is going," Jane stated.

"Why is an Internal Affairs agent here?" John asked. 

"The Executive Board knows about Anoleis' corruption. I've been undercover for six months," Parasini explained. "I want you to convince Qui'in to testify before the Board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again." 

"We need Qui'in's garage pass to get Liara to her mother," Jane stated. 

"You help my investigation, I'll provide whatever you need. Favor for a favor," Parasini replied. 

"You know this case better than me," John stated and Jane smiled.

"I am more than willing to help bring Anoleis down," Jane stated. "Hell, I'm even willing to talk that xenophile, Qui'in, into testifying for you." Parasini looked shocked. 

"Really...thank you. I wasn't sure a Spectre would be willing to help. Your peers aren't known for following rules," Parasini stated and Jane shrugged. 

"We didn't seeing as we raided Qui'in's office," Jane pointed out and Parasini nodded.

"You know where I work. Come talk to me once you know if he'll play ball," Parasini stated. The twins watched Parasini leave before John gave Jane a look.

"What did you mean xenophile?" he asked and Jane blinked.

"When Qui'in was checking me out it made Garrus very uncomfortable," Jane stated and John made a face. "Nope. You will only make Qui'in clam up, I'll see if I can't get him to agree." 

"No offense, but I've seen you try to flirt," John stated. 

"I wasn't planning on seducing the guy. I mean really John, I've never even considered an interspecies relationship...hell, I can't even manage to get a date with my own species," Jane chuckled. 

Jane was quick to cross the bar and sit down with Qui'in alone. The turian looked her over.

"Always a pleasure, Spectre. Any news on that matter I asked you to look into?" Qui'in asked. 

"I finished the job. But an Internal Affairs investigator contacted me. She wants you to testify against Anoleis," Jane stated. Qui'in pulled back and his eyes narrowed at her.

"Now that you have my property, you want to dictate how I use it? I have no interest in a public spectacle," he snapped and Jane looked at him before holding up the OSD. 

"I don't intend to give your information away, I just want to point out. Everyone on this station is chafing under Anoleis' extortion. You could very well end up the hero who brought him down," Jane stated. Qui'in didn't move to take the OSD. 

"My employers rely on the goodwill of the Executive Board to work here," Qui'in sighed. 

"I'm sure the Executive Board would regard you with extremely good will if you were to get a parasite like Anoleis off their station," Jane replied and Qui'in chuckled as he looked her over.

"All right. It is obvious that I cannot dissuade you," he purred and Jane placed the OSD into his hand. 

"Thank you, Lorik," she said and he chuckled. 

"I hope I don't regret this...Jane," he replied as she got up. He caught her hand and put the OSD back into it. Jane headed back to where the others were waiting and filled them in on the plan.

“This is going to be so much fun to watch.” Garrus said happily as everyone headed for Aneleis’s office to give Parasini the news.

“Did you do this often in C-Sec?” Tali asked curiosly. John shot Garrus a look, interested as well.

“Oh hell yes. The excuses they come up with why they did it are just so laughable. I even caught one guy who did it because he was bored. It's even more fun when you nail an Asari doing something. They're smug, they tend to think they’ll get away with it because of their longer life span. More experience or some other crap.” Garrus said.

~ * ~ * ~ 

Jane and the group entered and Parasini gave her a look. Jane smiled.

"Spectres, have you given any more consideration to my offer?" Parasini asked. 

"It took minor persuasion, but Qui'in has agreed to testify," Jane stated and Parasini smiled. 

"That's a world of stress off my back. I'll take the evidence for safe transport," Parasini stated and Jane handed over Qui'in's OSD. "I didn't think you'd help me. Being a Spectre and all. I guess some of you can be all right." 

"Well, maybe we are planning on giving Spectres a better name," Jane said. "Besides, doesn't this help you? You don't seem particularly happy." 

"I'm ecstatic. But right now, I just feel like a long day of work is ending," Parasini sighed. "While you were working on Qui'in, I got you a garage pass. Be careful up there. I have an arrest to make. Wish I had time to change into something easy to move in. I hate skirts." 

"We should go," Liara stated as Parasini headed to Anoleis' office. 

"Wait for it," Jane purred and the group moved to the side. It didn't take long for Parasini to begin frog marching Anoleis out. 

"This is an outrage! I'll see that you never work in this sector again!" Anoleis cried as he was dragged across the room.

"Yeah, yeah. Get a move on," Parasini snarled before Anoleis caught Jane's eyes. 

"You! Shepard! I demand you place this bitch under arrest!" Anoleis cried and Jane smiled as she crossed her arms and shook her head.

"You have the right to remain silent. I wish to God you'd exercise it," Parasini stated. "See you around the galaxy, Commander. I owe you a beer." Jane waved. 

"Awww, you made a friend," John teased and Jane chuckled.

"Two if I heard right," Wrex added and Jane laughed as she twirled their garage pass around her fingers. 

~ * ~ * ~

“That was kind of fun.” Tali said as they entered the parking garage. Garrus chuckled.

“We helped take down a corrupt bureaucrat. Not much else beats the feeling you get watching the smug drop from off their faces as the cuffs go on.” Garrus said happily.

“What about sex?” Jane asked. John glared at her but she just smiled at him. Garrus laughed.

“I did say not much else.” Garrus replied.

“Listen y-”

“Quiet.” Wrex rumbled. The krogran’s head was cocked. “Do you hear that?” Everyone paused as mechanical whirs and clicks began to sound in the garage bay.

“What is that?” Liara mumbled. John shot Tali a look. The Quarian was listening as well.

“I think it's Geth.” She replied just before a Geth sniper’s laser sight began to shine.

“Down, down, down!” John ordered. The squad scattered for cover just moments before Geth began to open fire. He found himself pinned down by large Mako in one end.

“I’m guessing these are what the matriarch had in the crates she brought with her.” Tali replied from her position next to John.

“There’s a Destroyer at the far end!” Jane called out from somewhere behind him. John let out a curse. That could be bad. 

“Take out the basic Geth units first!” John snapped over comms. “Weaken it first by taking out its support." A few moments after he barked his orders his helmet began to beep, indicating a private com signal. He grumbled about who would communicate like that during a firefight but clicked the channel open.

"John, you are talking down to the team. Save for Tali and Liara all of us have firefight experience, plus Tali has better knowledge of the Geth than you. I know you want to teach Liara, but Tali and I have already gone over Geth attack strategies with her. Command us like a combat team you trust, not like a teacher favoring the weakest student in the class," Jane stated and John nearly paused. Jane was right, he was showing Liara too much consideration and he was going to make the rest of the team think he didn't trust them in the field. He thought for a moment before switching back into the team line.

"Wrex, keep it busy until the other Geth units are down!” John ordered. Wrex answer was to roar and go barreling into the Geth Destroyer, sending it skidding along with deck.

“Not what I had in mind but that works too.” John said. He yanked his assault rifle to bare and popped up behind one of the tires to gun down a Geth that was moving towards them. Just as it went down in spray of white fluid, Tali tackled him from behind just a Geth rocket shot past them.

“Thanks, Tali.” John said as they scrambled for cover behind a nearby crate.

“No problem Commander.” Tali said tossing a grenade over the box to explode by a cluster of Geth.

“John, we have a problem with that Destroyer!” Jane called out. 

“How so?” John asked. His answer came in the form of Wrex being thrown through the air, slamming into the large mako, and bouncing off it to hit the ground. Wrex lay still for a moment before Liara took a hold of the Krogan in a biotic pull, tugging him to her behind a pile of crates. John saw Garrus with her and provided cover fire as the Asari tended to wound Krogan. 

“If it's still so powerful I think the other Geth programs transferred to it before their platforms were destroyed!” Tali responded.

“They can do that?” Kaidan replied, hitting the destroyer with a biotic throw. The Destroyer skidded back a few feet.

“It's rare but it does happen!” Tali retorted ducking down as the Destroyer sent a missile their way.

“Any fusions cells or fuel tanks in the area?” John asked. He popped up to throw a few grenades but the Geth shot them out of the air.

“A few!’ Ashley said. “I’m at the far end and I see three scatter about by the end near a second mako!”

“There’s a few scattered about hear this end as well Commanders!” Liara revealed.

“Liara, Kaidan, Jane! Each of you pick one and throw the damn thing into the Destroyer!” 

“Got it! Alenko take the one by the left hand side of the door. T’Soni take the one by John. I've got the one to the right of the door!” Jane ordered. "Count down together, Biotics!" 

“Affirmative!”

“Yes sir!”

“One, two three!” the three shouted. The biotic members who were not injured, all popped up at the same time. They each grabbed a container with a biotic field and threw them into the Geth Destroyer. They impacted at roughly the same time and the explosion sent pieces of the Geth everywhere. 

“Well done, everyone.” John said as they regrouped around Wrex, who was sitting up and rubbing his skull.

“We should have expected something like this.” Jane muttered and John sighed as Captain Matsuo came storming in with a squad.

“I wonder what other surprises are going to come up?”

“What did you do here Commanders?” Matsuo demanded angrily.

“Us? We were just cleaning up some interesting cargo that made it through your weapons screening. Geth are tricky little AI's you never know where they are going to show up," Jane stated

“Geth? You expect me to-” Matsuo trailed off as she took in the scene behind them particularly the scattered debris and Geth head not too far from them. “Where did they come from?”

“If I were to guess,” Tali said. “...the Matriarch brought them in the shipping containers she arrived with.”

“I don’t believe that.” Matsuo protested. “We did thorough scans of those. There were no power sources, no element zero masses… If Benezia-sama’s containers were packed with these things, there are many more out there.”

“We’ve fought Geth before.” John said to reassure the security Chief. “Most likely they’ll stay clustered on the route to Peak 15. We should wipe most of them out on the way there.”

“I appreciate that, Commanders. My people are good, but few of them have combat experience.” Matsuo said and sighed. “I have to report to the Executive Board. If word gets out about loose Geth, there may be an investor panic.”

“This will be part of my report to the Council but I’ll try to stress the urge to keep this quiet.” John said and Matsuo smiled happily before heading off.

"You think she's going to update her security screenings?" Jane asked, kicking a chunk of the Destroyer away. 

"I suspect the company that makes that system is going to get sued," John nodded. 

~ * ~ * ~

"Alright team, since our Geth welcoming party in the garage, I think we all agree that Benezia has probably stationed Geth to defend the route to Peak 15," Jane stated as they approached the mako. "John, you drive and Tali, you will sit up front with him." 

"Why?" Tali asked.

"You know what the signs of Geth are. You tell John, he stops and the sniper team with get out," Jane stated. 

"So we're going to play in the snow?" Garrus asked and Jane smirked.

"That's why we have matching Devlon armor," Jane stated. "Environmental Hazard guaranteed. Snipers, we will do our best. However, if we find we cannot take the enemies, we radio in for back up. Liara and Alenko will get out and back us up while John uses the Mako as the massive weapon it is." 

"I want in on this," Wrex purred. 

"Then you can take guns while John drives," Jane stated. 

"Our armor isn't going to help us, Wrex," Tali stated and Wrex huffed. 

"You can play with the guns the whole time, Wrex," Jane stated and the krogan chuckled. 

"You sure you want to do that?" Garrus asked and Jane smirked.

"Wrex can prove himself by hitting something while John is driving," she replied as the team got into the Mako. 

~ * ~ * ~

The first sign of Geth had the three snipers in the snow crawling to a vantage point.

"Have I mentioned how much I hate the cold," Garrus stated. 

"You also come from a planet with enough radiation to mutate the rest of the known intelligent species," Jane replied as the sniper team crawled on their bellies up the hill. 

"They have an armature," Ash commented. 

"We have explosive ammunition," Jane replied.

"When did we get that?" Garrus asked.

"When I found out we were going up against a research lab, explosions make most opponents think twice about attacking," Jane stated. "Name your targets." 

~ * ~ * ~

The Mako stopped out of range of the Geth turrets and John turned to look at the snipers. 

"We're not getting out of the mako," Jane stated.

"You could take them," John chuckled as Wrex fired again and again.

"Once you destroy the turrets, we'll talk, otherwise I'm not moving," Garrus stated. 

"Lead by example John," Jane teased as Wrex used the mako's rockets to the best of his ability. 

~ * ~ * ~

The group was preparing to enter the Peak 15 facility. As the garage door opened the group stared at the Geth for a second before both Shepards leapt into the garage, ducking behind crates on opposite sides of the door. 

"Commanders!" Liara cried. 

"I am getting tired of Geth," Jane muttered as she quickly stood up and sent a singularity to keep the Juggernaut busy. 

"Alenko, T'Soni, keep the snipers safe with barriers!" Jane ordered. 

"Following that train of thought," John chuckled. "Garrus, Ash. Take the little guys, Jane, Wrex, and I will take the big one." 

"Right behind you, Shepards," Wrex laughed. 

"Now!" John cried. 

~ * ~ * ~

“How did Benezia get all of these Geth through security?” Jane muttered. John shrugged as they entered the airlocks for the peak 15 facility. 

“Who knows? Maybe she snuck some in with some covert air drops?” John replied.

“Why are these turrets facing the wrong way?” Garrus mused. John stopped and stared.

“Huh.”

“Maybe they were positioned to keep something in, rather than to keep some one out.” Wrex said. 

“Oh that’s a cheery thought.” Ashley muttered as they loaded onto the elevator. The ride up was relatively quiet until they got out. After a short walk down a small hallway the door opened to a massive room. 

“Geth!” John called as they quickly caught sight of them. The team quickly put them down but was worse was the clicking and screeching sounds coming from the ventilation system.

“I don’t think I want to know what that is.” Jane mumbled. 

“You’re about to find out.” John replied as the vent moved and a large insect creature slithered out. It had tentacles waving in the air and dozens of little green ones came scurrying behind it.

“Spiders, spiders, spiders, spiders, spiders!” Tali suddenly cried out in horror. John blinked as every scream of “spiders” was accompanied by a blast from Tali’s shotgun. The green swarm was quick blasted into paste and the rest of the squad had no problem quickly taking out the larger one.

“Tali? You okay?” Jane asked, concerned. Tali took a deep, shuttering breath.

“I hate spiders.” She explained. John burst out laughing.

“I think we all know that now.” Jane said gently, but her lips were twitching as she tried to suppress a smile.

“Those things….I think they may have been Rachni.” Wrex grumbled. Most of the squad turned to stare at him in shock.

“Wrex-Wrex are you sure?” John demanded. Wrex grunted.

“As I can be Shepard. The Rachni War was before my time but I’d have to say they were. They fit the stories I was told as a child,” Wrex explained.

“Shit!” John snapped, running a hand over his head in frustration. “This what they were so worried about us finding up here!”

“We need to tell the Council. They must know what is going on here.” Liara exclaimed.

“To hell with that! We need to wipe them out before Binary Helix unleashes them!” Ashley exclaimed.

“Enough!” Jane cut in. “All this speculation isn’t doing us much good. We need to restore the tram service and then get to the main facility. Agreed?”

Most everyone grumbled their agreement. 

“Move out, a keep your eyes open.” John ordered.

~ * ~ * ~

"Looks like the VI is down," Tali stated as they approached the end of the hallway.

"That shuts down elevators and the tram," Jane sighed. 

"I can fix it," Tali stated and the Shepards let her ride the service elevator down into the core.

“Everyone spread out and secure the area while we wait. Do weapon checks and make sure heat sinks are functioning properly.” John ordered as the two Shepards took up guard posts by the core access. 

"John, you need to cut it with the rookie talk," Jane whispered, giving John a look and he winced. He had done it again. "She's a strong biotic, she's almost to my level with minor training. Trust her and trust us. If you have to mentor anyone, it should be Tali, she's got the least experience. Hell John, Liara is a century older than us." 

"I know. Bet you whoever locked off the VI did something else." John said in an attempt to change the topic.

"John, we are currently following an Asari Matriarch and a battalion of Asari commandos. I'm pretty sure they did more than just turn off the VI," Jane said with a shake of her head.

“How’s going down there Tali?” John called down.

“So far so good Commanders! If this wire will just-” Tali was cut off by a loud snap and an electrical crackle. “AH! BOSHTET! That hurt!”

“Tali, you okay?” Jane said, concerned. Jane’s reply was a long string of what she assumed was Quarian swearing.

“Yeah she’s fine.” John said, grinning. A few moments later the VI kicked on, quickly revealing that the landlines on the roof needed to be fix as well as the reactors needed to be put back together. Tali re-appeared a few moments later. Both Shepards listened to the VI for a few minutes before exchanging a look.

"I'll take the reactor," John stated. 

"I better go with you," Tali added and Jane fought a smirk.

"Alenko and Garrus need to be with me on the roof then, I rather have more tech training than just mine up there," Jane stated. 

"Okay team, Wrex you better stay with me seeing as the roof team will be outside," John stated and Wrex grumbled. The two teams broke. 

~ * ~ * ~

"I'm glad you had Tali," Jane stated as she looked at the Rachni juice staining her armor as they regrouped a few minutes later.

"I'm glad you had medium armor," John replied. 

"I wish I got to fight Rachni," Wrex pouted. 

"Oh Wrex, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them," Jane stated as she comforted Wrex with a pat on the hump. "Tell you what. I'll let you fight them alone." 

"Ah, you might just be my favorite human," Wrex chuckled as they headed to the tram.

~ * ~ * ~

The tram stopped and the group looked around.

"Anyone else notice that those doors are locked?" Kaidan asked. 

"That's promising," Jane muttered. "Looks like the elevator to the upper level is clear," she said before John hit the button. 

"How much do rachni eat?" John wondered. 

"A lot," Wrex growled. They rode up in silence, listening to the rattle and scraping that had nothing to do with the elevator. 

"Just throwing this out, but that is really creepy," Garrus stated and the group nodded. The doors opened the team's weapons were met by a scrappy barricade a human stood up. 

"Stand down, I'm Captain Ventralis, Peak 15 security. Sorry. We couldn't be sure what was on the tram," he said. 

"I'd only be upset if they had fired," John said as he stepped forward. 

"Even hopped up on stims, my people know the rule. Two legs good, four legs bad," Ventralis said. "Look. You're human, and that's enough that I won't shoot. But I'd like to know who you are." 

"My name's Shepard, this is my sister and our team. My sister and I are Spectres," John said and Ventralis' eyes shone with recognition. He nodded. 

"Huh. I won't look a heavily-armed horse in the mouth," he said. "The aliens overran the hot labs last week. Only Han Olar got out, and he ain't all there anymore. The first we knew, the bastards were clawing into my command post. We had a lot more staff then."

"You were taken by surprise and had civilians to protect. You did a good job, Captain," Jane said. She saw the familiar light of a person who tried hard, but couldn't save everyone. 

"Yeah? Sure as hell doesn't feel like it," Ventralis said, the defeat apparent in his tone.

"It never does," Jane replied and Ventralis looked at her a moment before seeing her own survivor's guilt in her eyes. 

"The board sent an asari to clean up the mess. She went to the hot labs yesterday. We haven't heard from her since," he said quickly getting to business. 

"We're not going to let any of your people die," John said and Jane fought the urge to give her brother a look. Promises like that were very hard to keep. 

"All I can do is hold out here and protect the civilians," Ventralis sighed. "There's an emergency elevator out by the trams. This card will let you activate it. It can take you down to the hot labs. Oh, if you need any first aid, Dr. Cohen's downstairs in the med bay." 

"Well, we have work to do," John said. 

"Yeah, I hear..." Ventralis was interrupted by rachni screaming. "Hell! Man the perimeter!" 

"Don't worry," Jane stated as she pulled her weapon. "We have a krogan." Wrex let out an impressive war cry as the first rachni emerged from the grate. The rest of the team split up and began to attack. The fight was over quickly. 

"Thanks for the help. Every few hours, a group comes up the tram tunnel. It's actually better since we locked down the elevator," Ventralis sighed.

"We'll do whatever we can," Jane said. 

"I don't know why they keep throwing themselves against our defenses. Even animals should learn not to stick their noses where it hurts," he said. Jane patted John's shoulder.

"We need to stock up on medi-gel, just in case. I’ll go talk to the doctor," Jane said. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Okay people spread out and find out what you can.” John ordered. Liara and Wrex heading to gather intel as the others followed Jane down. John saw an Asari who was staring off into space and approached her. As he got closer she seemed to focus and gave John a bored look.

“What?’ she grumbled. John sighed to himself.

“I’m just trying to find out the current situation.” John explained. “Are you a member of the science teams?”

“Recently transferred.” The Asari grumbled. John glanced to his right and saw Liara haggling with an Elcor over some mods and Wrex stomping away from a Salarian who was currently gibbering in terror. Deciding he’d have better luck with her, even if she seemed to be a foul mood.

“You seem less upset about this situation than the others.” John observed and the Asari rolled her eyes.

“That is one of the virtues of the meditation you interrupted.” She snarked. John sighed again.

“Do you know Matriarch Benezia?” John asked, hoping to find some info as to where the Matriarch was.

“Do you know President Huerta of Earth?” the Asari retorted. When John scowled she smirk. “I did not think so.”

“Benezia passed through here.” John explained, tightly. “You didn’t see her?”

“I saw her. You asked if I knew her. I do not.” The Asari replied and John clenched a fist.

“That’s all for now, thank you for your time ma’am.” John said, moving away. He ignored her last cutting remark and went to see what mods Liara had managed to obtain.

~ * ~ * ~

Jane headed downstairs with Ash, Kaidan, Tali, and Garrus, all members who had used up their medi-gel. They entered the medical area. 

"What? What do you want?" Dr. Cohen asked and Jane blinked. He looked like he was dealing with several people who were sick, not rachni attacked. 

"Were they attacked by the aliens?" Jane asked, cautious not to call the rachni by name to the staff. 

"They're suffering from a toxin. There was an accident," Dr. Cohen sighed. "I-I have a non-disclosure agreement. I shouldn't discuss it with anyone outside of the company." 

"But you're going to, because I might be able to help," Jane said and Dr. Cohen looked at her for a moment. 

"I'd like to think the company finds our lives more valuable than their secrets," he said but it was clear he wasn't convinced. "You know Mira? The VI for Peak 15? She handles the safety protocols for our experiments here."

"Tali here reactivated her on our way through Central Station," Jane said, giving the quarian a nod of acknowledgement. 

"That was you? I'm grateful. Until she came online, the automatic equipment wouldn't work," Dr. Cohen cried. "We lost the connection to Mira in the middle of an experiment, and the quarantine failed. These three were exposed to a toxin. Something we were working on." 

"I understand your caution, but I need details. What you say won't go beyond these walls," Jane said. She would help, but she needed to know what she was getting into. 

"It's a bio-weapon. Based on an exotic life-form discovered on the frontier. They wanted something that could kill the creature," he explained. "But there was no profit in something that kills one species on the frontier. We kept working on it. Adapted it to affect more species. Thoros-B is highly infectious, but it can't pass from one person to another. Like a biowar attack without a pandemic spread." Jane blinked. Biowar was dangerous, to prevent the spread would make biological weapons more effective, she didn't like that. 

"Things like that never get out of control," Ash huffed, the sarcasm clear in her voice. Jane agreed with the tone.

"Militaries, governments, they'll get this kind of weapon one way or another. We're trying to limit the damage. I know you can't see that," Dr. Cohen said. He clearly believed in his work, Jane just saw the danger in it. 

"There's a reason the Citadel Conventions forbid bioweapons, Doctor," Jane stated and he gave her a look.

"I didn't expect you'd understand," he said. "Our notes and equipment are locked in the quarantine labs. Captain Ventralis doesn't want to risk more contamination." 

"I'll talk to him. Maybe I can convince him to let me try," Jane said. 

"I can't ask you to do this officially. But if you can do anything, I'd appreciate it," he said. 

"Talk to you later," Jane said before heading up stairs. 

"I hope you can do something," Dr. Cohen sighed. The group headed upstairs. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Something you need?” Ventralis asked, as they met up with the security chief.

“We heard about the problems in the quarantine lab. We’d like to try and recover the toxin cure.” John explained. Jane nodded in agreement.

“God. I wish we could help those guys. I really do. But we can't risk contamination now.” Ventralis explained. Jane and John nodded but neither agreed with that assessment.

We're not part of you defense plans. We're consuming extra rations, extra medi-gel...” Jane pointed out. Ventralis frowned.

“Yeah. But you also have extra guns.” He sighed. “All right. You want to gamble with your life, you're not under my command. I'll have the guard let you in, but he'll lock the door behind you. He'll run a full scan before he'll let you out. If there are any anomalies, you stay in there.”

“Sounds fair to me.” John agreed. Jane offered her hand and Ventralis shook on it.

“I'll radio ahead to let the guard know. Good luck you two.”

“We don’t need luck, we’re the Shepards.” John called back over his shoulder as they headed back in. Jane cuffed him upside the back of his head. The trip down stairs to lab was quiet. John was grinning happily while Jane was giving him an annoyed look at his last remarks to Ventralis. When the reach the door way, they noticed a Volus milling around by the entrance. Jane headed over to speak to him.

“You came to find out about them, didn't you?” the Volus asked. Jane nodded.

“I need to know more about those things out there.” Jane asked, specifically leaving out their suspicions.

“About the rachni?” the Volus weezed.

“I knew it.” Wrex growled.

“What do you know about them? Who are you?” John asked as the others gathered around them.

“My name is Han, Earth-clan.” The Volus explained. “The krogan wiped them out a thousand years ago. They found it in a derelict ship. An egg. Waiting since the last battles. They brought it here...”

“Shut up!” a human scientist shouted from a corner. “God. You want to get us killed?”

“I don't have any control over who lives or dies here. Do you?” Han retorted.

“If you're going to be crazy, be the quiet kind.” A Turian scientist joined in.

“Crazy?” Han mused. “I'm sane. God, am I sane.”

“You’re not crazy.” Jane re-assured him. “We believe it's Rachni as well.”

“Anything else you can tell us about the rachni?” Tali asked.

“I told you all I can.” Han mumbled. “We brought the rachni back from the dead. In retrospect, a bad decision.”

John shook his head as the Volus wandered off, mumbling to himself.

“Poor bastard.” Jane muttered. John agreed. 

~ * ~ * ~

The team approached the door and the turian security guard stared at them.

"You're not part of the crew," he snapped. 

"We're the Shepards, we're Spectres, sent by the Citadel," Jane stated. 

"There aren't any human Spectres," the guard said in a snide tone. Jane gave John a look.

"Guess they don't get the latest news vids up here," he chuckled. 

"Look the plague doesn't care who you are. This lab is under quarantine," the guard snapped and Jane rolled her eyes.

"We have Ventralis' permission to go in there," John stated and the guard blinked.

"Yeah, he radioed," the guard replied sheepishly. "He also said you have to prove you're not contaminated to get out." The last bit was sharp and Jane fought the smirk as the guard unlocked the door. "You got a death wish, you should stand watches on the barricade." 

"Nice guy," Ash muttered and Jane snickered as they entered the lab. 

"Alright, let's produce this cure," Jane sighed. "Find the research notes and we find the cure." The group quickly began exploring the lab. 

"I found it," Liara stated. "It will be easy to make." 

"Good eyes," John stated as Liara headed over to the mixing station and began producing the cure. 

"I'm glad we can help those poor researches. Maybe they'll think twice about biological weapons," Jane sighed.

"You really think that?" Ash asked.

"No...but I can hope, can't I?" Jane asked and Kaidan smiled at her.

"It's a good thought, Commander," he said and Jane smiled. 

"Done," Liara cried just as she held up the cure the door opened and Alestia entered followed by several geth units and an asari commando. 

"Your mission ends here, Shepards," she said and Jane looked at John.

"Friend of yours?" she asked.

"I just met her," John stated. 

"What the hell?" Ash cried. 

"What happened to Ventralis' man?" John demanded. 

"I didn't have permission to come in. He got in my way," Alestia stated in a jovial tone. "I was ordered to eliminate you, should the opportunity arise. And here you are, trapped in this lab." John and Jane shared a look at the 'trapped' part of her speech. "Weapons free!" Jane struck first, throwing a singularity right into the heart of the group. 

"I love doing that," she stated as she pulled up her pistol and the team unloaded into their attackers. The group was dead very quickly and the team exited the room. Garrus knelt by the turian security guard and then looked at the Shepards shaking his head. Jane noticed Han waving at her.

"They came out of there," he stated pointing to a door. 

"You mean the geth the asari had with her?" Jane asked. 

"Benezia brought them with her," Han said. 

"How can we get into the maintenance area?" John asked. 

"A team lead would have access. Like Dr. Cohen. He's in the medical bay," Han said. 

"Thank you," Jane said and the group turned for the elevator.

"Isn't it funny how many times your worthless trips work out like this?" Wrex asked and Jane gave him a look.

"You wouldn't believe it," she sighed as the group headed back to the med bay. 

"We should keep track of how often this does happen," Garrus suggested.

"Okay, you can be in charge of that," John chuckled. 

"Gee, thanks," Garrus drawled. 

"I cannot believe what is happening here," Liara stated and John moved closer to her as they headed through the common area. 

"Which part, the toxin part, the rachni part, or the geth part," Jane asked in a gentle tone and Liara looked at Jane. "We know, Liara. We're here to try and stop it as gently as possible." They entered the medical bay. 

"Is that the cure? You did it?" Dr. Cohen cried and Jane smiled as Liara handed him the cure. 

"That asari scientist, the one in the mess hall, she just tried to kill us," Jane stated. 

"Alestia? That's unbe...I...I don't know much about her. She arrived a month ago. One of the shareholders pulled strings to get her here," he stated, his voice going professional. Clearly, he was shocked but he was going to do his best to help. 

"Let me guess. Saren, the Spectre?" Tali asked with a rather sharp tone. 

"Yes. I think that was the name. I don't pay attention to the other research teams," Dr. Cohen confessed and Jane was inclined to believe him. "Look. The guards. They've been more on edge since you got here. I think they were expecting you. There are more labs in the back. The guards won't even let me back there. Just people with 'clearance.'"

"Sounds about right," John sighed and Jane nodded.

"What about the maintenance area? Do you have access to that?" Jane asked. 

"The maintenance area? Yes, take my pass. But there's just snow back there," Dr. Cohen said. "Let me see the phial. An extension on Phelps' work? I thought he was on the right track. I can't thank you enough. God. What a cliché. You saved their lives, you know that? I need to administer this. Thanks again." 

"Well, shall we check maintenance?" John asked. 

"Do we have a choice?" Jane retorted as they headed back. 

~ * ~ * ~

“Everyone keep on your toes.” John ordered just outside of the main chamber. He turned to look at Liara. “Liara you stay right next to me. Try to talk your Mother down but don’t throw yourself in harm’s way. Understood?”

“Yes Commander.” Liara replied and took a deep breath.

“Okay then, let’s go. Nice and easy everyone.” Jane said. They opened the doors and slowly made their way inside, guns at the ready. John frowned as he didn’t see Benezia.

“You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness or despair.” Benezia’s voice called. John turned and saw her approaching from a large holding tank. He could definitely see a resemblance to Liara in her face and the way she moved. But there was a cold, hard tone to her voice that Liara did not have. “Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren’s enemies. I won’t be moved by sympathy, No matter who you bring into this confrontation.”

“Liara’s here because she wants to be.” John said, gesturing to the Asari on his right with his right hand. He was holding his left behind his back and motioned for the others to spread out. Jane, Garrus and Kaidan were slowly inching to the right. “Not because I asked her to.”

“Indeed?” Benezia said in amusement. “What have you told him about me, Liara?”

“What could I say, mother?” Liara demanded, her voice raw with emotion. “That you’re insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?!” Benezia scoffed at this before turning her attention back to John.

“Have you faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have.” Benezia said, her face void of emotion.

“I can't believe you’d kill your own daughter.” John snapped. Benezia’s face displayed no emotion.

“I now realize I should have been stricter with her.” Benezia snapped, throwing her arm out, alight in a biotic field. John tried to dodge but got caught in a biotic stasis.

Jane quickly threw up a few barriers, getting as many of their team to safety, her eyes on John as asari commandos filled the room. 

“John!” Liara cried as the stasis broke and he collapsed to decking.

“I’m okay.” He responded moving towards Liara, Ashley and Wrex. “The others?”

“They’re trying to circle around behind her.” Wrex replied, popping to blast one commando in half with his shot gun. The door opened and geth began to steam into the chamber. “Well, that makes it more fun.”

Kaidan and Jane were on either side of the walkway behind the case blocking them from Benezia. They were doing their best to keep the commandos and geth pinned. Jane threw a singularity, giving Tali and Kaidan a chance to throw various tech attacks at the geth while Jane and Garrus focused on the commandos.

“Try and get a clear shot if you can!” John cried. Wrex nodded and ducked out of cover to open fire from another spot. Liara created a singularity and one of the Geth let out a high pitched whine before it was crushed and pulled apart.

“This is going so well.” John muttered, opening fire with his assault rifle. Benezia’s attention turned back to them as a few rounds hit her barrier. She narrowed her eyes at John and gestured. The crate they were taking cover behind began to rise and John swore again.

“Move, to the next section!” he barked. The others scrambled to get away but Ashley went down as a Geth tackled her about the knees.

“Commander!” Ashley cried. John whirled around and cursed. He hurried over and jammed his rifle into the Geth’s head. He emptied the clip into it and it went tumbling back. He saw the glow around the crate intensify and made a split decision just as enemy fire brought down his shields. 

John snatched Ashley by her collar and with all his might hurled her at Wrex and Liara. Ashley landed just as the crate was thrown at John.

“Oh this is gonna hurt.” John muttered just before the crate hit him, exploding in a shower of shrapnel. John was thrown back and crashed into the wall. His right side felt like it was on fire and he look down to see a gash in his armor with blood streaming out. He jabbed medi-gel into the wound to stop the blood flow. He got to his feet just in time to see Jane let out a scream of rage and send Benezia flying into the holding tank. The Asari collapsed to the ground, clutching her middle.

“John, are you okay?” Jane exclaimed, rushing over to check on her brother. John struggled to get up and Jane helped him to his feet. He little out a small hiss of pain. Liara had just arrived when Jane saw the wound in his side.

“John you’re hurt.” Liara exclaimed. John forced himself to stand tall and grimaced.

“I tended to it with medi-gel. It’ll hold for now. The commandos and Geth?” he asked. Jane grinned.

“Nuetralized, you guys distracted Benezia long enough for us to clear them out.” 

“Then let’s go check on her.” John said, leading the way. He ground his teeth however, as with every step if felt like something was cutting him inside the wound.

‘I might have shrapnel in there.’ He reasoned as they approached. Wrex and Garrus were standing by the Asari matriarch, their weapons trained on her.

“This is not over.” She hissed at them as they approached. “Saren is unstoppable. My mind is filled with his light. Everything is clear.”

“The hell?” John muttered and Jane frowned.

“Mother what is wrong with you?!” Liara demanded.

“Has she lost it?” Ashley asked. “Most people I’ve taken in after being beaten are usually swearing revenge or begging to be let go.”

“She kind of reminds me of some of the people in Major Kyle’s cult.” Tali muttered. Jane jerked and shot John a look. John shrugged, understanding what she was thinking. He was thinking about it too.

‘Could an Asari matriarch be brainwashed?’

"The rachni didn't cooperate with you. Why should we?" Jane asked. 

“I will not betray him. You will…you…” Benezia shook her head, and slowly stood. Wrex and Garrus tensed but John motioned for them to stand down. Benezia shook her head again and she clutched at her temples, squeezing her eyes shut. After a moment they snapped open and she looked at Liara.

“You must listen. Saren still whispers in my mind. I can fight his compulsions. Briefly. But the indoctrination is strong.” Benezia explained. John frowned. Her whole attitude had changed, the way she held herself, the way she spoke. It was like night and day.

“So you could turn on us again?” Jane questioned.

“Yes, but it would not be my will Shepard.” Benezia explained. “People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary.”

“The ship that attacked Eden Prime.” Ashley mumbled and Jane nodded.

“Sovereign's not like other ships. Where did he get something like that?” John asked.

“I cannot say. The Geth did not build it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known species.” Benezia revealed. “The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren’s will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you.”

“It is some form of brainwashing then.” Jane hissed quietly and Benezia nodded.

“It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist. Instead, I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find to location of the Mu relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago," she explained.

"It's location was recorded somewhere here on Noveria?" Jane asked and Benezia shook her head. 

"Two thousand years ago, the rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. The rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the queen’s mind.” Benezia hesitated. “I was not gentle.”

“You can still make it right.” Jane said. “Give us the information.”

“I was not myself, but...I should have been stronger. I transcribed the data to an OSD. Take it, please.” She said, handing it to Garrus who in turn took it over to Jane.

“Knowing the relays coordinates is not enough. Do you know where he planned to go from there?” Liara asked.

“Saren wouldn’t tell me his destination. But you must find out quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to him before you arrived.” Benezia responded.

“Damn.” John grumbled. Benezia winced and rubbed her temples.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Liara asked.

“You have to stop...me. I can’t... His teeth are at my ear. Fingers on my spine. You should...you should…” Benezia grunted and stumbled back as if she had been struck.

“Mother!” Liara cried, trying to rush to Benezia but John held her back. “Don’t leave! Fight him!”

“You’ve always made me proud, Liara.” Benezia exclaimed. John heard the finality of that statement and exchanged a look with Jane over Liara’s head. Jane nodded and extended her rifle.

“Die!” Benezia screamed just before Jane’s sniper round took her in the center of the chest. Liara screamed as he mother was thrown back against the holding tank, this time blood trailing on the tank as she slid down. John let Liara go this time to have a moment. He and the others stood back as the two Asari exchange quiet words before Beneiza died. Giving Liara some time to grieve, John and Jane moved to the other side to examine the holding tank that held the rachni queen.

“So what are we going to do with her?” Jane muttered. John shrugged as they watched the queen moving about.

“Commander, one of the wounded Commandos just got back up!” Garrus called behind them. The two Shepards spun around to find the nearly dead Asari staggering toward them. She moved past them and turned around to stand between them and the Queen.

“This one serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless.” The Asari said in a dully, echoing voice.

“Well, my weird shit-oh-meter just hit the red.” Jane mumbled. John glared at her.

“Your way of communicating is strange. Flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all.” The queen explained through her unwilling interpreter.

“This is going to be a fun conversation.” Wrex grumbled.

“We are the mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced. We are rachni.”

"How are you speaking through her?" Jane asked as she looked at the wounded commando. 

"Our kind sing through touchings of thought. We pluck the strings, and the other understands. She is weak to urging." The creepy echoing voice explained as the two Shepards looked at the insect. "She has colors we have no names for. But she is ending. Her music is bittersweet. It is beautiful. You are not in harmony with those who hoped to control us." The Shepards shared a look. The commando was dying and the rachni could feel it. It could also feel that they were not out to control her. 

"What will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?" she asked and Jane looked at the rachni queen. She looked so helpless for being a massive insect. 

“There are acid tanks rigged up on that thing. Set them off. Millions of my ancestors died to put these things down. Don’t let them come back.” Wrex snarled.

"Commanders, there are some old grudges in the galaxy. Grudges humans should stay out of. If we kill her, we kill the entire race." Kaidan countered. 

"Your companions hear the truth. You have the power to free us, or return our people to the silence of memory." the queen acknowledged the danger of her own race. 

“I need to understand. Why are your children killing people?” John asked.

“They stole our eggs from us. The sought to turn our children into beasts of war. Claws with no songs of their own. Our elders are comfortable with silence. Children know only fear if no one sings to them. Fear has shattered their minds.” The Queen explained.

“They took the Rachni away from the queen before she could imprint them upon her. It drove them crazy.” Tali reasoned.

"It makes sense. A child raised in a closet will be terrified of anything," Kaidan pointed out.

“I don’t get paid enough to make these kinds of decisions about genocide.” John grumbled. He was just about to responded when Jane moved forward and quickly hit the release command. As the containment cell moved into position to release the Queen John turned to her in shock. “Jane!” 

“Look, I may have killed a lot of people but I don’t kill innocents. And she was innocent.” Jane snapped. The asari body stared at Jane a moment.

"You will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children." The queen spoke.

"How's that feel, Shepard? You are going to have giant insects singing songs about you," Garrus stated and Jane ignored him. 

"I just want to know one thing. Why did your people attack the Citadel races?" Jane asked and the queen moved out of the tank, looking down at them from the other level. 

"A dark tone resonated. The dark tones took away their songs. It drove them mad. Made them search out and destroy." With her final statement made, the commando collapsed to the floor. Jane blinked at that statement, something had driven the normal rachni into war mode...whatever it was, it was bad. 

“Fine, but if they start anything my people will clean up this mess later. Just like we did for the Salarians.” Wrex grumbled. John sighed as Liara came over to them. The entire ground team watched in silence as the Rachni queen slowly made her way out. She turned to them, looking at them all for a few moments. Then she scurried off. 

~ * ~ * ~

"We need to go to the hot labs before we finish this off," Jane stated as they head for the elevator.

"What?" John asked, wincing.

"Ventralis said that rachni were coming from the hot labs. That metaphoric closet Kaidan mentioned...I'm pretty sure it's the hot labs," Jane said as she prepped her weapons, the others began to do the same. 

"I hate it when you're right about stuff like that," John muttered. 

"Well, you always forget it when you get your ass kicked by a biotic," Jane shot back.

"That happen a lot?" Ash asked and Jane smirked.

"Not as often as you would think," Jane replied as they exited in a large room where a man was sitting. 

"Are you here to secure the situation? he asked in a thick Russian accent. 

"How are you holding up?" John asked, a hand on his side.

"You must listen to me. If we do not contain our mistake, they will drop bombs from the battles stations. You understand?" the man cried and the Shepards shared a look. 

"You let these things out?" Jane asked in horror. 

"Ehh. I am only following the orders," the man confessed. "Binary Helix found an egg. It was on a derelict ship, thousands of years drifting. This was rachni ship. Inside they find many eggs in cryogenic suspension."

"They must have been thrilled when it hatched," John sighed, shaking his head. 

"Yes. Very tough, to be so long frozen. That it survived the centuries...this is miraculous," the man said in awe. 

"Miraculous isn't the word I would use for it," Ash muttered.

"Binary Helix plan to clone rachni. Mass-produce them. Create an army. But when they get here, they find this egg is not a common rachni. It is a queen," the man explained. "After she lays eggs, they move her to Rift Station. They are thinking that without her, they can raise the babies to be obedient." 

"Obviously, they were wrong," John pointed out. 

"Eh. This was exactly the wrong thing to do," the man sighed. "I am thinking that without a queen, rachni do not develop properly. Her mind is shaping theirs. These rachni are uncontrollable." 

"Would she be able to save them if we brought her here?" Jane asked. 

"No. I am sorry, but this will not work. These rachni are beyond saving. It is a sad thing, but they must be euthanized. I am thinking that the neutron purge must be set off."

"How do we set off the purge?" John asked. 

"Arming controls are nearby. All you do is insert the key. Then I will give Mira destruct cod-ugh!" the group watched as a rachni tentacle erupted through the man's chest. 

"Well, that's not good," Wrex stated.

"You can kill that rachni...you happy now?" Jane snapped as she rushed after the man as he was thrown. She got to his body as the group fought the rachni. She found a small code in his pocket. They quickly moved in the far room. Jane activated Mira.

"Connecting. I have full access to the facility, and am at your disposal," Mira said. 

"Activate the neutron purge," Jane ordered. 

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that without proper code authorization," Mira stated and Jane pulled out the code.

"Code input: 875-020-079. Code Omega local execution," Jane ordered. 

"Verified. Code Omega execution in 120 seconds," Mira answered and the group opened the door to a small army of rachni.

"Well, that's not good," Garrus stated.

"Liara, singularity to the left I'll get near the door. Ash left side of door, Garrus right side of door. Wrex, John, clear us a path through the middle. Tali, take whatever gets past the rest of us," Jane called. They were following her commands as soon as she said them and they ran to the elevator. The explosion seemed to take forever as they moved up the elevator. 

~ * ~ * ~

A few minutes later they were riding the mako back to the docking and administrative facility when a particularly hard bump jostled John, making him let out a yelp as his wound flared up in pain.

“John are you okay?” Jane asked from where she was driving. John frowned.

“Not really.” He said reaching into the medigel packing his wound. Liara’s eyes got wide as he dug around in it.

“Commander what around you doing?” Liara exclaimed as the others turned to watch.

“John stop that!” Jane scolded

“I think there’s some shrapnel in there from earlier.” He explained.

“So you should let Doctor Cha-” Jane was cut off as John grunted and yanked out a large sliver of the container’s metal casing. He grinned in triumph before a wave of pain hit him, clouding his vision over.

“I think I may need a doctor.” John wheezed before passing out and slamming face first into the deck plate of the tram.

~ * ~ * ~

Ash caught John and looked at Jane. 

"Applying medi-gel," Liara stated quickly closing the wound John had just opened. 

"Stupid man! Picking at a wound like that before we were back on the ship!" Jane snarled. "I swear, if he dies I will hunt him down in the afterlife and kill him!" 

"I hope the Commander is an atheist," Garrus muttered.

"He didn't lose too much blood, Commander. He probably fainted due to pain," Liara said and Jane sighed.

"It better be a pansy faint and not blood loss," Jane muttered. 

"She reminds me of a krogan when she gets all angry," Wrex purred and Garrus inched away from the krogan. 

~ * ~ * ~

Jane was worried about John as they prepared to have the post mission meeting as the Normandy left Noveria space. John was unconscious in the medical bay but Dr. Chakwas had assured her that John would be fine. 

"What's our next move, Commander? Head for the Mu Relay?" Ash asked as she took a seat and Jane moved to the center of the front of the room. 

"The Mu Relay could link to dozens of systems. Unless we know exactly where Saren's going, we'd just be wasting our time," Jane sighed. 

"The commander is right. We cannot rush off blind. We still need to learn more about Saren," Liara spoke with a serious tone. 

"Who put you in charge? Did the commanders resign when I wasn't looking?" Ash said and Jane gave her a sharp look. 

"We're all on the same team here, Williams. She's just trying to help," Jane warned. 

"Sorry, Commander," Ash quickly stated, giving Jane a look of apology.

"This is a tough mission. We're all on edge. Everyone go get some rest. Crew dismissed!" Jane ordered. 

"Noveria report is away, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?" Joker's voice asked and Jane sighed. A conference with the Council without John. They were going to love her report about letting a rachni queen go free in the galaxy. Oh well, she was more than willing to ask them if they wanted to have her go off and perform genocide.

"Patch them through Joker. I'm going to need a drink after this," Jane muttered.

"Setting up the link now, Commander...and getting the beers frosty for you," Joker replied and Jane fought a smirk. The holograms appeared in front of her and she stood at the ready.

"Are these reports accurate, Commander? You found rachni on Noveria?" Tevos asked. 

"And then released the queen! Do you have any idea what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?" Sparatus demanded. 

"I thought the Council frowned upon genocide, besides, this queen is different. She understands why her kind had to be wiped out last time around. Rather generous for the sole survivor of her family, wouldn't you say?" Jane asked and Sparatus glared at her.

"I hope you're right, Shepard. Our children's children will pay the price if you're not." 

"We'll be waiting for your next report, Commander," Tevos stated before the communication cut. 

"Well, that went well," Jane muttered as the door opened. 

"I missed the Council?" John asked and Jane nodded.

"Well, how about the next mission, I get wounded and you do the report alone?" she suggested and John gave her a look. "Then don't do stupid shit like ripping chunks of shrapnel out of your body before we're in a medical bay." 

~ * ~ * ~

The door to the med officer’s office was locked. John frowned but hit the buzzer again. Still no answer.

“Damn it.” John snarled. He quickly typed in his command over code. The door beeped and unlocked, sliding open. John moved inside, he was not surprised by the sight he found. 

Liara was sitting at her desk, working on some of the Asari writing Jane had been collecting. She ignored the door and the sound of John moving over to her. He pulled an empty chair by her and sat down. He said nothing while Liara worked, he was willing to wait for her. Liara glanced at him, her eyes were puffy, she had been crying.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She said after a few minutes. 

“I know," he replied, Liara glanced at him again before she went back to working. After a few more minute she stopped. 

“She fought it," Liara said in a soft voice. "She gave everything she had to fight it. She saved one piece of herself to help us.” Liara kept her eyes on her work.

“No,” John said. “She saved a piece of herself for you, Liara.” 

“You can’t know that!” Liara exclaimed, slamming a data tablet down on the desk. “She could have done that for anyone!” She turned to look at John.

“She had plenty of opportunities to tell anyone else, maybe even send an emergency message to Council," John said. He looked up at her but made no move. "Only when you were there did she finally break free, if only for a moment. Because she loved you.”

“And I helped kill her.” Liara whispered, dropping her face as she dropped into her seat. John gently turned her face him and grasped her shoulders. 

“Liara look at me, please.” John replied. Liara slowly raised her head. “That wasn’t your mother. It was the indoctrination that was forced into her but it didn’t take her soul. You helped keep that clean. No one on this ship is at fault, not me, not Jane, and especially not you. This is all Saren’s fault. He started this. Your mother tried to stop him and got caught in the destructive wake that Saren and Sovereign left behind.”

The dam of the emotions finally broke loose and Liara began to sob. John pulled her close, wrapping her into a hug and let her cry as she buried her face into his shoulder.

~ * ~ * ~


	6. Growth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After taking down a rogue VI on Luna the Normandy is forced to dry dock. With a wounded companion the Shepards begin to have strife dealing with two commanding officers. The Geth bases are destroyed for a certain young Quarian with eyes on the male commander.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: June 17th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Transit

 

“How come we keep returning to Citadel after each major mission, Commander?” Joker asked. John took a long drink from his coffee mug before answering. He hated the last hour of his shift. It was just before midnight, most of the crew was bunked down and the remainder were on night watch. It was usually quiet which in turn made Joker……bored. And talkative. And nosey. And annoying. And…John shook himself. Maybe he was the problem and not Joker.

“It just seems to be luck mostly.” John replied. He thought back to Liara and Garrus' requests. “Liara got a message from the Asari Republics regarding Benezia. Garrus got word from a contact about some information he needed to receive in person. So I thought why the hell not?”

“Well after Noveria I think we can all use some rest. I am so glad to be off that planet.” Joker said, stretching in his seat. “I don’t know which was worse, the cold or the corporations. One will freeze your balls off, the other will sell them out from under you. With all due respect, Commander.” John laughed.

“I can’t argue with you there Joker.” John said. “Anyways give me a final status ch-” John was cut off as the communications relay on Joker’s console began to chime and flash.

“Saved by the bell.” Joker said before opening the channel. “This is the SSV Normandy, please identify.”

“Normandy, this is Alliance Command. I have Admiral Hackett on a priority one channel. Prepare for confirmation data.” The woman on the line said. John raised an eyebrow. Priority one indicated immediate response. It was just one step below an Emergency Action Message.

“Authentication received.” Joker replied after receiving a data packet and verifying it using Alliance ciphers. John focused on his pilot again. “Go ahead Alliance Command.”

“Joker? This is Admiral Hackett.” The admiral’s rough voice said. “I need one of the Shepards right away. Priority one.”

“This is John Shepard, Admiral.” John spoke up for first time. “I was standing here when the signal came in.”

“Perfect. We’ve got a situation here and you and your sister are the only ones who can handle it.” 

“What do you need Admiral?” John asked. John heard the Admiral breathe a big sigh of relief and he frowned.

“There’s an Alliance training ground where we test weapons and technology in live fire simulations. The VI we use to simulate enemy tactics in the drills is no longer responding to our override commands.” The Admiral paused. “It’s gone rogue.”

“Sir, I have to ask for my mission. Was this VI tampered with at all or given any black op upgrades?” John asked.

“We’re not stupid Shepard.” The Admiral stated. “It’s a Virtual Intelligence, not a true AI. It’s not self-aware and it can’t access any external systems. It can’t access any external networks but we can’t access it from here either. We didn’t do anything illegal here. From what my techs have been able to deduce, this thing simply was over-taxed and something gave out. It began to write its own simulations and codes before the facility went dark. We need you to fight your way through the training ground and manually shut the VI down, or destroy it.” The Admiral seemed to hesitate. “I know we haven’t spoken much Shepard, your sister and I go back to the Blitz, but we need both your help. You and your sister maybe Spectres and answer to the Council but you're still humans and still Alliance. We need you to get on this. The VI controls all of the facilities weapons, drones and turrets. You and your team are the only ones who can pull this off Shepard.”

“I understand sir. Where’s the facility and do you have a layout of it and its defenses?” John requested. Joker’s console chimed again and John grinned.

“It’s a secure training facility on Luna. We’ve just sent you the most detailed map we have. The turrets can’t be repositioned but there are plenty of crates to change the layout inside the facility.”

“We’ll get it done Admiral.” John promised. “We’re changing course to head for Luna now. Joker, what’s our ETA?” 

“It’s gonna be a bit, Commander.” Joker said, wincing. “We’re mid-jump between relays. We’ll have to backtrack two to get to a relay connecting to the Sol system. Twenty hours minimum.”

“We’ll be expecting you Shepard. Alliance out.” The comm signal cut off and Joker breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, that was a fun call.” Joker drawled and John shook his head. “What now Commander?”

“Now you forward those blue prints to the terminal in my quarters. I’ll be working on them for a while.” John said, turning to head for the room he shared with his sister. “Oh and Joker?”

“I know, I know. Top secret, this never happened, blah, blah, blah.” Joker replied and John grinned.

~*~*~

Jane was heading down to the mess when she saw Kaidan getting his breakfast. 

"Morning, ma'am," he said and she nodded at him as she gathered her lunch meal. "Getting an early lunch?" 

"Yeah, looks like we were detoured again," she sighed. Each day they spent on something other than Saren was a day he was up to no good. 

"Do you have some time to talk now, Commander?" Kaidan asked and Jane turned her attention from breakfast to him. 

"Of course, have a seat," she said. 

"We've played it pretty close to the book so far. But we're a long way from backup. We've got some tough calls to make," he said and Jane's mind went straight to the rachni queen. She really hoped that one didn't come back to bite her in the ass, especially with how the Turian councilor had snapped at her. "I'm just saying...try to leave yourself a way out. I've seen what cutting corners can do to someone. And I'd hate to have that happen to you, Shepard." Jane fought a smile, apparently Kaidan was talking about the rachni. 

"That's not the appropriate way to address your commanding officer, Lieutenant," Jane said in what she thought was a teasing tone. 

"Sorry, ma'am. Maybe I got a bad signal. I mean if you're a...Maybe there's someone else you'd rather confide in. Ma'am," Kaidan backtracked and Jane blinked. 

"All right, Alenko. Off the record, permission to speak candidly, cross my heart and hope to die...what are you talking about?" Jane asked. 

"Uh...Dr. T'Soni. Ma'am," Kaidan stated. "There's a lower-deck rumor that she's, uh, interested in you. As more than a source of Prothean data." Jane felt her face fall...Kaidan thought the Shepard the rumors were about...was her? "She's a very interesting lady. Not to my, uh, tastes. But I never claimed to be big on alien culture." She could correct him...or play along for a little longer. 

"You seem awfully worried about my personal affairs," Jane said, making eye contact with Kaidan. He kept the eye contact and Jane suddenly realized just how intense his gaze actually was. 

"It's just that...We don't have much downtime these days. And I like being around you. But I...I don't want to take up your personal time," Kaidan stated, looking away at the end. Jane fought the flush of pleasure that he enjoyed spending time with her. 

"Well, first off, I'm pretty sure you've got the wrong Shepard that Liara is making doe-eyes at because there is nothing between Liara and me. What's the real issue here, Kaidan?" Jane asked. Kaidan seemed a little relieved. 

"You're right. Sorry. It wasn't....Liara's not my main concern," he said. "I'm not questioning any decision you've made, Shepard. Let me be clear about that." Jane blinked at that. This wasn't casual flirting anymore...at least she didn't think so, she wasn't that good about flirting to begin with. 

"It's just my experience that once someone lets something slide, it tends to pick up speed. You get my meaning?" he stated. 

"Talk to me, Kaidan. You've got a little black raincloud sitting over your head," Jane said. 

"I'll try to keep the deck dry," he joked, but his tone wasn't behind it. "You know the records about the biotic training out on Jump Zero? They're all classified. Because the Alliance made mistakes." Jane knew about the classification, it was part of the reason she was so terrified about her biotics forming. No information about what to expect from biotic training. She remembered that. "After first contact, Conatix was set up to track element zero exposures and develop implants for humans. Once we had an embassy on the Citadel, Conatix could bring in "experts" instead of taking it slow." 

"The only experts would have to be aliens," Jane stated. It was obvious if they were going to create a biotic program to bring in the races experience with biotics. 

"Dead on. Turians, actually. That's why Conatix kept it a secret," Kaidan stated and Jane blinked. Turians training young human biotics would have caused quite the stir. "They were afraid of what people back home would think. Asking the turians for help when we'd just fought a war with them."

"The asari would have been more acceptable than the turians," Jane muttered and Kaidan nodded.

"Yes, but the company didn't go through the Citadel. It would have made Earth look weak. So they discreetly hired some turian mercenaries," he said and Jane's eyes widened at that. Mercenaries would have been unforgivable on Earth. 

"I'm guessing you got your knuckles rapped a few times, Lieutenant?" Jane tried to joke, but the thought of turian mercenaries teaching biotics was disturbing. 

"Yeah, you could say that. Our instructor was a turian by the name of Commander Vyrnnus. To introduce himself, he like to say, "I was at the helm of the dreadnought that killed your father." I told him my dad wasn't in the war. He'd retired to Vancouver. My family had an inland home that matured to new beachfront," Kaidan stated and Jane just looked at him. She had only been to Earth for N7 training, she didn't get to do much more than see Rio de Janeiro before heading back out to space. "Vyrnnus had it in for me after that. He cut corners, pushed hard. I mean, you either came out a superman or a wreck. And a lot of kids snapped. A few died." Jane's eyes widened at that. "The point of all this...I guess...is that when you cut corners, it's not always obvious who pays for it." Jane thought about the rachni again...she probably wouldn't be the one to pay for her mercy.

"Why are you telling me this? Is there something I can do to help you get over it?" Jane asked, meaning the rachni, but that wasn't how Kaidan took it.

"I'm thirty-two, Shepard. You don't serve as long as I have without coming to terms with yourself," he said before looking into Jane's eyes. "You also learn that if someone is special to you, you help them. Try to keep them from making mistakes." Jane's spine tingled at that line. 

"Special, huh?" she said, smirking slightly and he gave her a look.

"If I'm out of line, just say the word," he said. 

"You're not out of line, Kaidan," Jane said, before her eyes landed on his uniform. "But there are regs." She said looking up again, a blush on her cheeks.

"I get you, Shepard. I don't make a habit of complicating the chain of command," he stated. "Just think about what I said." 

"I will," Jane stated, grabbing her breakfast and heading back up to the bridge. She had some thinking to do. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 18th, 2183 CE, 20:36 hours  
Location: SSV Normandy, Sol System

“Okay people, listen up. I know some of you have been trying to find out what’s been going on for the past day.” John said. The ground party was assembled in the conference room, in full armor for once. “We’ve been playing this pretty close to the chest because if word got out about this it could seriously hurt Alliance relations. I know you guys can be trusted but the fact of the matter is this isn’t like the incident with the probe. We want to limit the people who know which means no one outside of this room will ever learn about this. Officially we are accepting the Alliance’s offer to use their training facility on Luna.”

“Unofficially?” Garrus asked, curious. 

“Unofficially the VI they created to simulate scenarios and battle tactics has been allowed to function too long without any real maintenance. It’s gone rogue.” Jane explained. Tali made a choking sound and she stiffened in her seat.

“Is it like the Geth?” she demanded. 

“No, no, nothing like them.” John said quickly. “It’s just been over worked and the safety protocols have been disabled by accident. Jane thinks someone probably shot something they weren’t supposed to during the last training run. Since it was created to purposely attack soldiers and it has been allowed to amass so much data it can’t be taken down by a run of the mill squad. So the Alliance asked us.” Tali visibly sagged in relief. Garrus reached over from his seat and patted her on the arm.

“So what’s the plan Shepards?” Wrex said. John pushed away from the wall he was leaning against and headed for the hologram projectors at the end of the room. He tapped on the console and an image came to life that showed an overlay of the facility.

“Unlike previous missions we have a detailed layout of the facility and the surrounding area.” John explained. He pointed to several locations on the map. “These blue dots represent fixed turrets. They cover the entrances to the facility which is broken into three parts. We’ll drop in the Mako over here. Then as we approach the facility, we’ll circle the entrances and take out the turrets with the Mako. After that we’ll split into three squads and take out the VI conduits in each part of the facility almost simultaneously.” 

“Why are we splitting up, Commander?” Garrus asked. John pointed to a layout of one of the training areas.

“Each one of these areas has eight VI conduits. To avoid the VI adapting to our tactics quickly, I want to hit it in all three locations at the same time. You’ll accompany Ash and Wrex on Red Team to assault area one. Jane, Kaidan you’ll be Blue Team and you’ll take area two. Tali and Liara will accompany me as Green Team to take area three.”

“What kind of defense can we expect Commanders?” Ash asked.

Jane waved them closer to the map to go over the plan of attack.

~*~*~

"We broke the teams down into small groups based on strength. John is leading the two most inexperienced in the field because he's damn good at it. Ash, you get Wrex and Garrus because they both can follow your orders but both of them are capable of watching their backs. Kaidan and I will go in as the only two man team because both of us excel at personal defense with biotics. It will take more than this base has got to take out our combined shields," Jane stated as she pressed a button and the small figures appeared, each team in the corresponding colors. "We land in the Mako and Joker will take the Normandy on a quick once around, taking out the turrets from a fast fly by. The systems won't be able to lock onto it and by the time he's done the turrets will be gone and we will just walk right in." 

The images on the hologram moved to the base entrances. 

"The layouts are simple and repetitive, however, because of the ability to move the materials around the chambers, be prepared for obstacles," Jane stated as the basic outline of the bases was brought up. "Here are your targets, luckily they don't move, but the bases are armed with drones...many, many drones. Some are standard, unfortunately, there are rocket drones. My sources informed me that there are also outputs for environmental hazards so everyone should keep their helmets on just in case the VI decides that it would like to try and vent the air from the bases." 

"Lovely," Garrus muttered. 

"We've killed Geth...we can take down one malfunctioning VI," Jane stated.

"I like how you think," Wrex purred. 

"Get suited up, we will be arriving in just over an hour," Jane ordered. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 18th, 2183 CE, 21:58 hours  
Location: Earth Moon Luna, Alliance Advanced Tactics Testing Facility

“Everyone report position.” John order as Liara and Tali joined him by the inside entrance to the base. It was quiet for a few moments before speaking up.

“Blue Team in position.” Jane replied. 

“Red Team in position.” Ash spoke up shortly after. John nodded and took a deep breath.

“Go in five seconds. Liara count it down.” John ordered.

“Five.” Liara started over the comm channel. “Four, three, two…”

~*~*~

"You know back to back?" Jane asked and Kaidan nodded. "One." They pushed the door button and quickly a bubble of biotic energy combined over them, Jane's under Kaidan's as they stood back to back, her right shoulder touching his left as they entered. It was quiet for a moment before she saw the first drone. "Ten o'clock." Her voice was low, not that it would do much good. 

"I have two, one at two and three," Kaidan replied. 

"I'll throw a singularity at yours if you hit mine with a warp," Jane stated. 

"Agreed, three," he started.

"Two, one," they said in unison before they moved face to face, her arm around his waist and his doing the same. She hit the two perfectly with a singularity as he threw the warp behind her, they side stepped each other to begin shooting at their targets. It was a biotic dance, Jane had rarely gotten to work with a biotic as talented at Kaidan and it was amazing to combine their abilities in such a beautiful display of flashing blue.

~*~*~

"Raaaaaaah!" Wrex cried, his lift incapacitating a drone before his shotgun took down another. 

"Damn," Ash muttered. 

"Good thing he's on our side," Garrus chuckled as he aimed and took down another drone.

"Damn straight, you're not too bad yourself," Ash stated as she used her assault rifle to cover Garrus' sniper spot. 

~*~*~

“There are far too many drones here!” Ash roared. John ducked behind one of the crates, frowning as he listened to the others over the radio chatter. 

“These crates were pushed into position to form a bottle neck!” Garrus snapped out. “I bet the VI has every available drone in position to keep us pinned down here. I think it might have found a way for the operational drones to even repair some broken ones!”

“Can you hold your positions?” John asked. He ducked as the crate he was taking cover behind rocked from a rocket hit, the top of the crate having a chunk blown away.

“I do believe that is completely possible,” Jane stated. John couldn’t help but smile as he heard a loud crunch coming from Jane’s comm. 

“Okay here’s what-” John began but as he looked up he felt his blood freeze. The corner opposite of him was where Tali was firing on the drones, however, she was so focused on keeping them away that she dismissed a damaged drone that had crashed by her. The damaged rocket drone was behind her...and that rocket drone was moving.

“TALI GET OUT OF THERE, NOW!”

The drone fired.

~*~*~

"Throw another crate, Wrex!" Ash cried and when the crate hit the drone Ash fired until it was a smoldering piece of rubble, Garrus watching Wrex's back while the Krogan watched over Ash. 

"This is easy!" Wrex laughed before there was an explosion over the comms...the only way that could happen was if someone took a direct hit. 

~*~*~

"That was a direct hit," Kaidan stated and Jane nodded.

"Double the shields," Jane stated. "Status Report!" The two biotics glowed more, the drones moving around them like angry bees. 

~*~*~

The rocket hit Tali right in her side and the explosion threw her body away but completely destroyed the drone. She went flying through the air to crash into the door frame to the right of the entrance. Her shields had taken what they could before collapsing. But John felt his blood turn to ice in his veins as he saw Tali’s suit was scuffed and burnt. The worst was her left forearm, a jagged piece of shrapnel had punctured through her suit, lodging deep into her flesh.

“Fall back!” John shouted over the comms. He scrambled over to his hurt comrade with Liara providing cover fire. He hated to move her but they couldn’t attend to her medical needs under fire. He scooped her up and Tali’s head rolled back limply. She was either unconscious or…

“John what the hell is going on-!” Jane began.

“That’s an order! Fall back to the main entrance of your area and seal the door!” John said, hurrying into the aforementioned area. “Liara seal the door.” The Asari slammed her hand on the console, sealing it shut as they hurried into the main entrance. John laid Tali down gently as Liara opened her Omni-tool to scan it over her.

“That's not an option for us! John tell me-” 

“Not now Jane!” John snapped and turned off his open comm channel with the other two teams. “Is she dead?”

“She’s just unconscious.” Liara assure him. “Her suit’s sensors are reporting no other major damage, but the shrapnel has compromised the suit obviously. Emergency seals have clamped down to halt the spread of infection. I can’t remove the shrapnel, if it hit the artery I would risk her bleeding out.”

“Can you make an emergency seal? Something to seal her arm from the vacuum outside?” John demanded. Liara bit her lip for a moment, thinking.

“I think so.” Liara said.

“Pack the wound around the shrapnel with as much medi-gel to prevent the bleeding as much as possible. Then seal her arm.” John ordered and opened a comm channel to the Normandy. “Normandy come in, this is Commander John Shepard.”

“Commander?! Thank God, your sister is going ballistic on the other channel!” Joker exclaimed.

“I’ll deal with her in a minute. Joker I have wounded and I’m ordering an emergency pickup. There should be enough room for you to touch down between the three entrances. Inform Dr. Chakwas that she has a Quarian patient incoming and Dr. T’Soni will be carrying her. When you land send a team to help her with a stretcher.”

“Sir, ETA one minute.” Joker replied. John didn’t replay, merely switching channels to the team.

“-shut down his comm. Send Garrus-”

“I don't need Garrus!” John barked, cutting in. “Tali’s been hurt but Joker’s landing for a medical evac.”

“Are we falling back, Commander?” Ashley asked. 

“Hell no.” John replied as he watched Liara work on Tali’s arm. “We’re going forward but I had to order everyone back or else this plan doesn’t work. We need to move in sync and we can’t do that if you two move forward while Liara pulls Tali out.”

“Just Liara?” Jane demanded. John frowned.

“Yes, I’m finishing my area solo.”

“Are you INSANE?”

“We don’t have time for this!” John snapped. “Right now the VI is studying our tactics and capabilities from that little skirmish. If we don’t move forward quickly it could adapt and then we’d be right screwed.”

“Kaidan and I are still moving toward the door!"

"What?" John demanded.

"We were almost at the door when you ordered the fall back!" Jane snapped. 

"Damn it, we move now!" John cried.

“John no! Take Wrex or Garrus-!”

“No, now move in thirty seconds!” John ordered.

“Damn it, John!”

“I said move!”

~*~*~

Jane's biotics began to glow bright as she and Kaidan continued back to the door. She shut off her comm. 

"Stupid, impulsive, selfish man!" Jane snarled. 

"I'm sure the Commander has his reasons," Kaidan stated. 

"No, he's going into a battle in a rage. John takes his students' injuries very personal. He’s being aggressive and impulsive. He knows better," Jane growled. "He never even checked if everyone could pull back, just called the order like Tali was the only person in combat at the time." 

"You've had to make that call," Kaidan stated as they reached the door and Jane nodded. 

"Nothing makes you hollower than to order men to their deaths. However you have to stay calm, John got too personal, he better make it through this," Jane growled as they entered the control room. "This will make for great therapy though." With that Jane opened fire. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 18th, 2183 CE, 23:16 hours  
Location: SSV Normandy, Orbiting Earth Moon Luna

“How is she doc?” John asked. His first order of business after the mission was to check on Tali. Jane was so angry at him she had gone past yelling at him into completely ignoring him.

“She’ll be fine.” Dr. Chakwas said threw the comms. The medical bay office had been sealed and sanitized to form a sterile environment. The med bay itself would function as an airlock but Doctor Chakwas had forbidden anyone to enter so she had only allowed the Commander to call in, as it were. Tali was being treated in the office in the back that Liara had used. “Liara acted quickly and used enough medi-gel to seal the wound and surrounding skin to prevent infection. The disinfecting properties of the gel were also able to ward off any airborne vectors. I patched her wound and reused the temporary suit sealant Liara made from some spare equipment in the field. It will hold for a week. Plenty of time to get her a new suit. That coupled with the antibiotics I gave her and she’ll be up on her feet in the morning.”

“You’re the best doc.” John said in relief. 

“I know I am, Commander. Go get everything sorted. I’ll contact you if anything happens but I doubt it will.” Dr. Chakwas said and the comm shut off. John sigh and scrubbed at his face with his hands. He felt so tired. He knew the mission wasn’t a cake walk but they had superior knowledge of the terrain and the enemy. Was one second of bad luck all it took to almost kill a friend?

“Commander?” Joker’s voice rang out in the cargo bay and John sighed.

“What is it Joker?” John asked.

“Admiral Hackett is on the comms and he’s ordering the Normandy to dry dock at the base in Vancouver. He also wants to speak with you.” Joker said and John blinked.

“Now what?” John muttered. “I’ll take it in the conference room. And have Jane meet me there as well.”

~*~*~

“Admiral.” John said, entering the room. He saw Jane already there and she didn't even spare him a glare. She was seriously pissed. 

“John, I was just telling your sister the purpose of having the Normandy enter dry dock.” Hackett said, gesturing to John’s sister.

“Do you remember that coding the VI sent out just before it was destroyed?” Jane asked and John nodded.

“Of course. It got into our suit systems as well. Some of the crew is starting to check our suits and omni-tools right now to see if they’ve been compromised.” John replied.

“Which can’t be done with the Normandy.” Hackett explained. “When you had it land during the medical evac of your team member, that same code appear on Joker’s console as well. To check and purge every system on the Normandy we need to put the ship in dry dock. You and your crew have the next two to three days on leave Commanders. I’m having techs on the ground go over the ship for you.”

“Sir with all due respect, I have an injured Quarian crew member who needs a suit replacement as soon as possible and we’re on a mission to catch a rogue Spectre. I can justify a detour to the Council due to an order from Alliance Command but a three day shore leave would be harder to explain.” John objected.

"The ship was damaged and needs dry dock," Jane stated. "The Council will understand that." 

“I understand your issues Commander but you may have been infected with a rogue VI program. Even the console I’m calling you from will be purged and wiped after this. You’ll proceed as ordered. Hackett out.” 

After the hologram link cut out John let out a curse and stormed from the room.

~*~*~

"Commander," Joker stated, he watched Jane warily as she sat down in the co-pilot seat while he began the landing procedure. She was looking over a data pad before tapping her comm. 

"This is Commander Jane Shepard with the Alliance Navy. I was told you were capable of rooming my crew for a few days while our ship was in dry dock for repairs," Jane said and Joker's eyes widened. They were getting a hotel. Jane listened for a moment.

"Several officers, two dextro requiring crewmembers, one turian, one quarian," she replied and her face spoke of bad news. 

Don’t tell me they're booked," Joker groaned.

"I see, the Intergalactic Gaming Convention is being held right now...only doubles..." Jane sighed and Joker began to shake his head. "Well then, I'm going to need to book some rooms, sending the information now." Jane pressed a button on her datapad.

"Commander please tell me we are not doubling up," Joker groaned.

"It could be worse," Jane stated.

"What could be worse?" John asked and Jane shot him a look before getting up and pressing the intership comm. 

"This is Commander Jane Shepard, as most of you know we are going to have to dry dock the Normandy after that little SNAFU on Luna. And as luck would have it the Intergalactic Gaming Convention is being held locally this year. We will be doubling up for the next few days," Jane announced. "Rooming assignments are going to be sent out momentarily." She got up and headed off.

"Murphy's law, of course the Intergalactic Gaming Convention would be going on," John muttered. 

"At least IGG Con will be cool," Joker stated before noting John's look. "Are you sure you want your sister making the rooming assignments while being mad at you?" 

"Damn it, Murphy!" John cried as he turned and rushed down the hallway. 

~*~*~

"So, how long before she beats him within an inch of his life?" Wrex asked Liara. The asari blinked before looking at him.

"Who?" she asked and he chuckled.

"The Shepards. She's been furious since we got picked up. Watch what happens when he gets too close," Wrex pointed at the check in where Jane was signing in the crew. John was by her side, but every time he got too close her biotics would flicker near him. "I've never seen a human so mad." 

"To be fair, he was taking care of Tali," Liara stated and Wrex chuckled.

"That's the problem with two clan leaders. One doesn't always listen to the other. She's going to get her revenge for him pulling that stunt," Wrex chuckled. 

"I doubt the Commanders will resort to fighting," Liara stated as the room key cards were being passed out amongst the crew. 

"I don't know," Wrex purred as he took his card from Jane. The commanders were at the back of the group waiting for the others to go up first. After several rounds at the elevator it was Wrex, Liara, Tali, Kaidan, Garrus, Ash, Jane and John. As the door was closing a blast of biotic blue threw John back into the lobby and Jane slammed her finger on the 'close door' button. 

"Commander?" Ash chuckled.

"Oops, had a flare," Jane stated deadpan and several snickered in amusement. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 19th, 2183 CE, 05:43 hours  
Location: Earth, North America, Vancouver, Hotel Royale

Jane was up and in the weight room as soon as she got up. She was still furious at John. Throwing him out of the elevator had made her feel marginally better, but she was still furious at him. She was hanging by her knees, having gravity help her with her abs as she curled up, left elbow to right knee and then reversed. 

"Commander," Garrus stated as he entered and Jane gave him a nod. "Good to see you." 

"PT is good for bringing down fratricidal urges," she replied before looking at Garrus prepping a treadmill. This she had to watch. She dropped down and moved to take the one next to him. They both started at a slow jog. She fought the urge to stare at Garrus' legs as he ran. He was like a giant bird with those backwards knees. 

"You've been C-Sec a while, have you seen much action?" she asked and Garrus gave her a glance from the corner of his eye.

"Not as much as you...but yeah, I've seen some interesting things," he stated. He didn't elaborate and Jane wondered if he were being evasive on purpose. 

"I bet you have, anything in particular that stands out?" Jane asked. He gave her an impish grin...but then all turian grins looked impish to Jane. 

"I remember this salarian geneticist I was sent to investigate," he stared but his eyes grew dark. "That case was a bit...disturbing." That caught Jane's attention and she put up her speed a bit. Garrus followed her move and they were both at a jog. 

"What happened? Why were you investigating him?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the mirror across from them. Garrus was clearly thinking about it as he jogged. 

"I was tasked with tracking the black market trade back on the Citadel, most of it was harmless, nothing I needed to pursue," he started. "But during the course of my investigation I noticed an increase in the trade of body parts. Organs mostly. We usually get a few of those but not the numbers I was seeing. We weren't sure if it was a new black market lab or if some freak was harvesting organs from citizens." 

"So what was it?" Jane asked. That would be a dark case to be on. 

"Both actually," Garrus said and Jane shot him a look. He gave her one of his smirks before focusing ahead again. "But it took us a while to figure that out." 

"So how did you figure out what was happening?" Jane asked. 

"First we got a hold of a sample and ran DNA tests. The weird thing was the match led us to a turian who was still alive and was very convinced that he never lost his liver," Garrus stated. "After a bit of digging I discovered this turian worked briefly for Dr. Saleon, the geneticist. So I went to his lab hoping to find evidence of cloned organ development. But there was nothing, no salarian hearts, no turian livers, not one krogan testicle." Jane blinked again looking at him and he simply looked back at her. 

"You're a jerk making me ask this but, you're kidding right? Why would anyone want krogan testicles?" Jane asked and he chuckled. 

"Some krogan believe that testicle transplants can increase their virility, counteract the effects of the genophage. It doesn't work but that doesn't stop them from buying. They'll pay up to ten thousand credits each. That's forty thousand for a full set. Someone's making a killing out there," Garrus stated, shaking his head a little and Jane got a mental picture she could have lived without. 

"What did you do about the geneticist?" Jane asked, upping her speed again. It was a run, but a median run, Garrus picked up the pace as well. 

"I brought in some of his employees for interrogation, see if I could get them to talk," he stated. "While I was interviewing one of them, I came across something suspicious." There was something about that tone. 

"You beat a confession out of him," Jane's tone turned cold and Garrus didn't meet her eye this time. 

"It didn't matter, it paid off," he started. 

"There is a human saying 'the path to Hell is paved with good intentions,'" Jane stated looking forward. "Sacrificing integrity for results is never good." They ran in silence for a minute or two before Jane decided to clear the air some. "What did you find?" 

"One of my detainees started bleeding profusely during the interview. We offered to patch him up and he got frantic. Freaked out. I ordered a full exam to find out what was going on. Our medics found incisions all over his body. Some of them fresh," Garrus stated. "That was our big break. These people weren't just Dr. Saleon's employees, they were test tubes. Walking, living test tubes." Jane shuddered at that thought. Growing organs in people, how callous, how cruel. 

"So he was using his own employees as spare parts," Jane muttered. 

"Exactly, he'd clone their organs right inside their own bodies. Then he harvested them and sold them off," Garrus growled. "Most of the victims were poor. He'd pay them each a small percentage of the sale...but only if the organs were good." Jane knew what she was about to hear next was going to be sick. "Sometimes an organ wouldn't grow properly. So he would just leave it in. Most of them were a mess, but only on the inside so nobody could see." 

"I hope you locked him away for good," Jane growled, understanding Garrus' passion but not agreeing with his methods.

"See that's the worst part...we never caught him," Garrus sighed and Jane looked at him again.

"Why not?" she cried. "What the hell happened?" 

"He ran. Blew his lab, grabbed some of his employees, and headed for the nearest space dock," Garrus stated. "By the time I found out the ship was already leaving. He threatened to kill his hostages if we tried to stop him." Jane felt her biotics flash. Cowards hid behind the weak...it was part of the reason Jane loathed batarians. They used their slaves as human shields. 

"Did you go after him anyway?" Jane asked. 

"I ordered Citadel defense to shoot him down but C-Sec headquarters countermanded my order," Garrus stated. "They were worried about the hostages and the civilian casualties if the ship was destroyed so close to the Citadel. I told them those hostages were dead anyway. He would just use them to make more organs. They wouldn't listen."

"They were right," Jane stated as she stopped her treadmill. Garrus stumbled before doing the same.

"What do you mean?" Garrus asked. "I thought you would agree with me. Regulations hold everyone back, but you're free of them now!" Jane looked at him and stood tall. Her arms were crossed behind her back, the posture of a soldier at the ready. 

"Beware that, when fighting monsters, you yourself do not become a monster...for when you gaze long into the abyss. The abyss gazes also into you," Jane stated and Garrus stared at her. "Friedrich Nietzsche. Those words helped me to survive Mindoir. I vowed that I would fight Batarian slavers whenever I had the chance, but I would never sink to their depths. I would beat them with my own strength. Do not sink to the depths of the scum we fight. We will find Saren, we will stop Saren, and we will not sacrifice a scrap of our honor doing so." She turned and headed out, leaving a confused turian behind her. As she headed for the lobby she opened her omnitool and began to use her Spectre status to start looking into this Dr. Saleon. Perhaps seeing him brought to justice the right way would help show Garrus just what kind of Spectres the Shepards were. She paused at the desk before smiling. "I would like a wake up call sent to the rooms of all the crew of the Normandy now."

"Of course, ma'am," the concierge said, slightly afraid of the evil look on Jane's face. 

"Make sure to call my brother's room every ten minutes until he is out of the room," she ordered. 

~*~*~

“Breakfast Commander.” 

John snarled and jammed his pillow over his head.

“Sir the others are here for-”

“I heard I heard!” John snapped, sitting up and whipping his pillow at the source of the voice. A male voice made a sound suspiciously like a yip and something broke with a smash. John was breathing hard and glared at the source. Kaidan was staring at him with wide eyes, a lamp nearby smashed with a pillow.

“Uh...”

“Go away.” John hissed. Kaidan swallowed at his stared at his roommate and hurried out the door. John grunted and fell back on his bed, grabbing the spare pillow. 

“Fuck you, Murphy.” John mumbled to himself before drifting back to sleep.

~*~*~

Kaidan was looking out at the blue Earth sky with a smile at the ground team began to assemble. Jane was currently taking a call on her communicator. 

"You don't say..." she sighed. She didn't sound happy. "The timing is what it is. We'll see what we can do while docked." She ran her hand through her hair and Kaidan realized that it was still a little wet from the shower. He wondered if she brought her own shampoo or if she used the hotel's like him. 

"If you're not careful there, LT, you're going to set her on fire," Ash whispered and Kaidan jumped, giving her a look. Ash giggled before she turned to talk to Wrex. 

"What's the news?" Kaidan asked as Jane ended her call. She blinked at him before sighing.

"Forty-eight hours to finish the job," she sighed before looking at the sky. "Well at least this time I'm not contracted to stay within specific coordinates of the base." 

"What do you mean, Commander?" Kaidan asked and Jane smiled.

"Jane, Kaidan, we're off duty now. The only time I was on Earth was for N-7 training in Rio," Jane said. "I should get a good look at the homeworld this time." 

"Training had to take time," Kaidan stated and Jane shrugged.

"We were the best in class, we spent most of our time training," Jane replied. "I never bothered asking for leave...biotics aren't common in N-7...yet." 

Soon the rest of the group arrived.

~*~*~

“So what’s the plan for today? We’ve basically got all of today and tomorrow for ourselves.” Jane said.

“Well I don’t mind playing tour guide.” Kaidan offered. Jane shot the biotic a grateful look. Kaidan grinned as the others appeared to mull the offer over.

“Not for me and Tali.” John grumped, his head pounding. Damn sisters.

“What, why not?” Tali said, confused. The Quarian was grateful Jane had ordered special dextro room service as they left the Normandy since she’d been unconscious. She was currently drinking her breakfast, a berry flavored shake.

“I made some calls late last night after we checked in.” John explained. “The spaceport in Rio de Janeiro has a small business that caters to Quarians and Turians that help out with the Interplanetary Combative Academy. Apparently enough come by to justify keeping a stock of Quarian encounter suits. It’s run by a Quarian, Bexaton’Catu. I’m taking you there to replace your suit.” John explained. “Surprise.”

“Thank you Commander!” Tali exclaimed. 

“I think I’d like to go as well, if you do not mind.” Liara said. John shrugged.

“The more the merrier.” John replied and scooped up the last bit of his breakfast with his fork and popped it into his mouth. He chewed for a moment before looking around. “Where did Wrex go?”

~*~*~

"Anyone else worried that Wrex just vanished?" Garrus asked sharing a look that moved between Kaidan, Ash, and Jane.

"You know what, why don't we keep whatever each of us thought to ourselves and wait to see what he does," Jane sighed.

"I bet mine is the best," Ash grinned and Jane laughed. 

"So where to first?" Kaidan asked. 

"I don't care where we go this morning as long as we get to have real hamburgers for lunch," Jane replied.

"I can't eat that," Garrus stated.

"Actually, there is this new restaurant that is making human style food out of dextro foods," Kaidan stated and the group took off. 

~*~*~

Urdnot Wrex had been alive for hundreds of years. He had seen people come and go. To be frank about it he had caused most of the “going” of people he knew than anything else. Not too long ago when he’d heard about these humans appearing on the scene, he had to admit, he’d been intrigued. 

They weren’t the toughest species around, they weren’t the smartest, not even the prettiest. But they did have a startling ability to come out on top. Their planet had also intrigued him.

Until Earth and its humans had appeared on the scene he had never heard about a planet with such a huge diversity of animals, in the past or present. When he’d read up on the ancient dinosaurs as humans called them he had often wished they’d still been around. Especially the one called a Tyrannosaurus Rex. That would have been fun. But there was one animal that was still around that he’d heard compared to his species before, mostly to say a Krogan was “as mad as” and “as big as”. So since he was going to be stuck on this odd smelling planet for a while he decided to go out for a walk and see if he could find one. It was going to be the best day ever...

~*~*~

"I have to say, I like the hamburger, even though it wasn't made of the same stuff real hamburgers are made of," Garrus stated as they left the restaurant and Jane grinned.

"Real meat tastes the best," Jane grinned.

"I bet you got to enjoy that a lot growing up..." Ash paused and Jane nodded her head.

"We did, there is something satisfying about raising food, slaughtering it, butchering it, and cooking it, that makes it taste even better. Of course, the hamburgers I grew up on were neither beef, nor ham," Jane chuckled.

"What were you raising?" Kaidan asked and Jane opened her omnitool to show off a small creature with four legs that looked similar to a sheep or goat, but with a wide head and large mouth. Several horns emerged from the jaw. "What is that?" 

"The first settlers called them the Hornchins...not original but they are a bovine species, multiple stomach, flat grinding teeth, herbivores, lots of meat, and pretty docile. When the first settlers found out that they were edible and tasted similar to beef, they were quickly collected for farming purposes," Jane stated. "Still the majority of them are wild, they give birth to four identical offspring every year. The natural predators are a small weasel that hunts in packs. They avoid humans, but they go after Hornchin babies quick. The first baby up is usually the only survivor." 

"Well, on to happier topics," Ash began. "What should we do next?" 

~*~*~

One thing about grabbing a planetary taxi that John hated, was the smells. 

The inside of the car stank to high heaven. People spilling things or other accidents couldn’t be aired out during the ride due to the high altitude. The worst part about it was you didn’t even know the taxi stank until the doors closed and they took to the air. John glanced at Tali and envied the air filters she no doubt had built into her suit. John looked back at Liara whose face was pinched up into a look of disgust. John started to say something, some sort of apology when the taxi jerked in the air followed by a loud bang. John looked forward and saw the driver had a firm grip of the yoke. 

“What just happened?” John demanded, leaning forward past Liara on the seat opposite him.

“Ah, sorry. I think the left stabilizer just gave out.” The driver explained. John swore and leaned back. “It’s not that bad, but I do have to set her down. I’ll call for another car from the company to come pick you up while I wait for a tow truck.”

“Great.” John muttered. He shot a look at Liara who seemed more amused than alarmed and Tali who was gripping the overhead rail, tightly.

“Well, it could have been worse.” Tali said. John held his breath for a moment waiting. When nothing happened he let out a sigh of relief. 

“Please don’t say stuff like that.” John said as the taxi made a slow, if wobbly, descent.

“Why not?” Liara asked, curious. The taxi set down with a soft thump before opening the doors. They all climbed out, the drive tapping away on his Omni-tool to call in the problem.

“Human superstition.” John explained. “When someone says something like during a problem, it’s believed that things will get worse because of what you just said.”

“I’m glad I’m not human then.” Tali observed looking around. John took in their surroundings with surprise. They were in what appeared to be a clearing about five acres in size, with over grown grass. The area surrounding the clearing was thick with woods. There was a very old and beat up drive way leading to a road. In the middle was a modest two story home that had obviously seen better days.

“Well this is convenient.” John observed. The driver came over to them, smiling a bit.

“Actually not so much.” He said, lighting a cigarette. “I wasn’t sure about how accurate my landing would be so when I saw this opening in the forest canopy, I aimed for it. Figured I’d rather land on an abandoned house rather than a full one. Another car should be here in about thirty minutes.” 

“Thanks. So where are we exactly?” John asked as Liara and Tali spread out to better take in their surroundings.

“Somewhere in the Ohio valley area.” The driver said, taking a drag from his cigarette. “Not too bad actually.”

“No not too bad.” John muttered looking around. He noticed Tali waving from near the entrance to the house and moved to the Quarian.

“Look here.” She said, kneeling down. She pulled out a faded sign from the rotted wooden steps.

For Sale

“Huh, that explains why no one is here.” John said, taking the sign from Tali. He brushed it off and frowned. “The number and listing date on here place this thing as being put up sometime in 2154. That explains a lot.”

“It does?” Tali queried. John nodded as Liara came over to them.

“Humans started their galactic push in that time frame.” Liara explained. “From what I read a lot of people living in Earth’s rural areas were some of the first colonists. Since this house hasn’t been bought, more than likely it’s been forgotten.”

“You can forget a house?” Tali exclaimed, surprised.

“It’s possible, especially if all the taxes and fees have been paid.” John explained. “The people who used to own it were probably colonists who forgot all about the money from the sale during the rush to colonize. Worst case scenario they could have been one of the tragic families that got lost or even killed. I wonder if this place is still on the market.”

“If it is, I would be very tempted to buy it myself.” Liara said. She held up wild lavender flower she had picked. “It’s quite peaceful and beautiful.”

The aforementioned peace was broken by the roar of another taxi arriving, its engines kicking up a strong wind. As Tali and Liara hurried to the arriving air car John considered the sign for a few moments longer before tossing it aside to hurry after his friends.

~*~*~

"Man it has been forever since I've been to a beach," Jane sighed from the shade of the umbrella. Garrus was resting out in the sun as Ash was playing volleyball with a bunch of recruits on shore leave. 

"I don't suppose you spend a lot of time out in the sun, Jane," Kaidan chuckled and Jane smiled at the use of her first name.

"With my coloring, no, not many trips out in the sun for me. Still, I do love the beach," Jane sighed before her omnitool announced an incoming call. "Oh no..."

"What is it?" Kaidan asked. 

"The Casey Police Department in Montana is calling me..." Jane sighed.

"That took longer than I thought it would," Garrus muttered from his napping spot. 

"This is Commander Jane Shepard," Jane said answering the call. 

"Shepard," Wrex voice said.

"Wrex," Jane replied. 

"Bring money," Wrex replied. 

"What did you do?" Jane asked. 

"It's not my fault," Wrex replied. Jane thought that was bullshit. 

"Switch the call to the officer's omnitool," Jane ordered.

"She wants to talk to you," Wrex said and there was the sound of the call being transferred.

"Hello Commander, this is Officer Steven Barr with the Casey Police Department. We have a serious issue with a member of your crew," the voice on the other line began. 

"What did he do?" Jane asked.

"He killed a grizzly bear and brought the corpse into town looking to have it made into a trophy. This is usually a stiff fine, but he got a female...and its cub season..." the officer began and Jane sighed. 

"How much is bail?" she asked.

"You are going to want to bring a few thousand credits in total," Officer Barr stated.

"We'll be there within the next two hours," Jane sighed.

"Thank you, Ma'am," he said.

"Beach trip is over, we have to go bail out Wrex. I'll call John," Jane sighed, fighting the urge to smirk. A krogan versus a grizzly, Jane was going to bet Wrex never even drew a weapon.

~*~*~

“Explains this to me again.” John said, pinching the bridge of his eyes. Jane’s chuckling wasn’t helping the situation any not to mention the irritation he felt for having to tell the driver to detour from their flight plan back to Vancouver to deal with Wrex. Tali’s shopping trip had gone over well. The Quarian was practically bouncing with joy at her new armor set. John had splurged a bit and used his personnel account to buy Tali the best armor they had. Now clad in a hardened suit with enhanced shields and environmental parameters she was one very happy Quarian. He’d even agreed to buy Liara the enhanced amp she somehow snuck into their impromptu shopping spree. 

“I went for a walk in the woods.” Wrex began again. John winced as the officer let out a laugh.

“Skip that part, I meant the bear.” John snapped to the Krogan merc sitting in a jail cell.

“Well I’ve heard us compared to us something you humans called bears. So I found out what was the biggest bear species is and I wanted to see one in person myself. So I caught a transport to this camp in Montana.”

“It’s called a town,” Jane cut in.

“Right.” The Krogan said. “Anyways I wanted to know where I could find a Grizzly bear so I asked a local human. They pointed me to this zoo place but the Grizzly there was already caged. I asked where they live in the wild.”

“Oh Wrex.” Liara said in exasperation.

“Hey it worked, I found one!” Wrex grumbled.

“Wrex,” Jane said softly, “Grizzly bears are a protected species. They almost went extinct a few decades back. Taking the body of one into town to have it made into a trophy isn’t something humans normally do. Plus killing a female just made it worse.”

“I could have killed all of its cubs instead.” Wrex muttered.

“What?” The officer bellowed. John winced again and wished he had let his sister go bail out the Krogan alone.

“How do we get him out?” Jane asked.

“Well since it was he honestly didn’t know Grizzlies were a protected species we’re willing to commute it to a fee if he agrees to take us where he killed it, since we now have to find and raise some orphaned cubs.” The officer said. Jane sighed.

“He will, happily.” John cut in. Wrex just grumbled.

~*~*~

"Damn humans didn't let me keep my trophy," Wrex muttered and Jane patted his hump.

"At least they let us take a picture of you with it," Jane offered. 

"Still, that skull would have been a great trophy hanging on the wall next to my Thresher Maw bones," Wrex muttered. 

"Well, it only goes to prove that you need to do your research before you go hunting," Jane stated as they headed toward the transport van. 

"I wanted to fight one of those Tyrannosaurus Rex," he sighed and Jane smirked.

"They would never have stood up against you, T-Wrex," Jane grinned and Wrex gave her a look.

"You shouldn't mock your elders," Wrex warned teasingly.

"I like it as a nickname. T-Wrex...it suits you," Jane said. "You're probably more deadly." Wrex smirked at that.

"I suppose if it is in reference to my abilities to fight...I could stand to let you call me that...but no one else," he growled. 

"You got it," Jane replied. "Oh and you owe me twenty thousand credits for bail. I'm not letting you get out of that one no matter what you let me call you."

"Damn," Wrex chuckled. "Thought you would forget." 

"Not even close, Krogan," Jane teased. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 19th, 2183 CE, 22:09 hours  
Location: Earth, North America, Vancouver, Streets to Hotel Royale

Many of the crew was already out of the hotel restaurant by the time the ground team entered for dinner. 

"Who has room for dinner?" Jane asked and Wrex made a face. "Fine go off and do whatever. Get arrested and I'm leaving you here." 

"Like you would," Wrex chuckled before walking off.

"Would you?" Ash asked.

"I'd try, but John would probably wimp out and take mercy on him," Jane replied as she headed to the large table. 

"I'd be taking mercy on the human police department," John stated. 

"I feel like some chicken," Ash stated.

"It has been forever since I had chicken...real chicken I mean," Jane stated.

"What is this chicken, I am constantly hearing about how everything in the universe tastes like it," Garrus stated. 

~*~*~

“Thank you for dinner, John.” Liara said as they all left the restaurant. He could still hear the excited voices coming from behind them, some of which included Garrus and Ash’s argument about if Garrus eating a bird was a form of cannibalism. 

“Ah, don’t mention it.” John said, shrugging. “There aren’t many restaurants that serve authentic off-world food, most of it is imitation. Not to mention that conference limited our selections.”

“John, take the compliment.” Jane said, smirking at him. John rolled his eyes before settling his gaze on Tali. The Quarian seemed quite happily but she was hiccupping a bit. Jane saw where he was looking at and snickered.

“I think Tali ate too much.” Jane said. John shook his head.

~*~*~

"Turning in already, Ma'am?" Ash asked and Jane smiled. 

"It's Jane for right now, Ash," Jane chuckled. "Yeah, I'm heading to bed, it has been months since I could just sleep in." 

"Not going to a five am PT tomorrow?" Ash asked as Jane turned on the television. 

"Rest day. Need to let the muscles keep from getting strained. I'll do some minor biotics training but that will be all for tomorrow," Jane stated. 

"Well that's no fun," Ash sighed. 

"I won't hold you back if you want to hit the bars but I'm staying in," Jane stated. 

"I'll follow your lead, Jane," Ash stated. "What are we watching?" 

"She's a Keeper," Jane stated. 

"What the Hell is that?" Ash asked.

"It's an asari romantic comedy. It's basically about a pureblood asari who brings a vorcha home to meet her parents," Jane stated and Ash gave her a look. "I got trained by asari, the classes used asari children to help us. They dragged all of us, asari romantic comedies are as good as human." 

"I don't know if I'll get it," Ash muttered and Jane smiled.

"If you want to stay, I'll do my best to translate the culture things," Jane grinned. 

"You know a lot about asari?" Ash asked.

"More than John...but I don't know for how much longer that will last," Jane chuckled.

"He might be learning up on Quarians too," Ash stated and the two chuckled. 

~*~*~ 

22:48 hours

“Commander?” Kaidan said after a moment. John grunted.

“What is it, Kaidan?” John asked, trying to get settled in his bed. He knew it wasn’t Kaidan’s fault but he was still annoyed that the hotel only had double occupancy rooms left. Damn conferences.

“Do you have a problem with me being on this crew?” 

That got John’s attention. He reached out and switched on the lamp by his bed and sat up. He rolled over to look at the Alliance Biotic. Kaidan was staring at him with a pensive look on his face.

“Why would you ask that, Kaidan?”

“Well you’ve been giving me these looks whenever Jane’s talking to me or giving me orders…”

John stared scrubbing at his face.

“Why does this shit always happen to me?” John grumbled under his breath.

~*~*~

Garrus looked at the clock, looked at the empty bed next to him and shook his head.

"I am not even going to think about it," he muttered as he headed into the shower.

~*~*~

23:03 hours

“Say what you want about humans, they can design wonderfully decadent washing facilities.” Liara said, stepping out of the bathroom wrapped in thick, warm bathrobe. “Their shower has several different shower heads hitting your body at different angles. It is most pleasant.”

“Their entertainment is very wonderful as well!” Tali said. She was sitting crossed legged on her bed, staring at the screen set into the wall. “I discovered they supply private movie feeds to the rooms as well!”

Liara peered intently at the screen Tali was watching. Beautiful music was playing as animated images of a human woman in an elegant, bright yellow dress danced with what appeared to be a large, furry Earth animal. “That is oddly…moving. May I join you?”

“Oh please do! This Belle is wonderful and the Beast man is so sweet and rough and…”

~*~*~

"Oh my God, this is hilarious!" Ash cried and Jane laughed as they watched the vorcha try to impress his new 'father'-in-law. "I didn't know vorcha could be this funny!"

"I didn't either,” Jane laughed.

~*~*~

00:32 hours

“Go, go, go, go, go!” The crowd was chanting. Wrex was swiftly drinking a large pitcher of human beer he had obtained in the hotel bar. He had been drawn to the curious sound of these young humans chanting and laughter. Apparently they had returned from one of these convention things Jane Shepard had mentioned were going on in the area. To his surprise he had been welcomed by the rowdy human younglings. This had quickly led to many stories being exchanged and being drawn into a drinking contest with them. To his shock it was a dainty, blonde haired human female who had been paired with him in the finale, beating out some of the larger human males. He was chugging the human brew as quickly as he could but he was alarmed that the female was keeping pace with her own pitcher. Then to his shock, she threw her head back, finished her own drink and slammed it down on the table. She let out a dainty belch as their crowd cheered. Wrex finished his own drink and slammed it down to glare at the small female who was smiling at him.

“That was impressive.” Wrex allowed and the crowd of young humans roared their approval.

~*~*~

Jane was laying down with her eyes closed and Ash smirked as she flipped over to Talons.

"What are you watching now?" Jane asked. 

"It's that Turian murder movie...you know the one that had the Citadel up in arms," Ash said and Jane opened one eye.

"The one where the Turian murders the humans with his bare talons?" Jane asked and Ash grinned. "We never tell Garrus we watched this." 

"Done," Ash said.

~*~*~

01:21 hours

“It's not your fault!” Liara cried, tears streaming down her face as the baby lion nuzzled its father's body. She and Tali were clinging to each other. The lights had been turned off and the only light in the room was being cast by the screen as the animated feature played. Tali was sobbing at the emotional scene.

“It's so sad!” The Asari wailed as the dust began to part before the dark red figure…

~*~*~

"Leave the room, Turian," Wrex's voice snarled and Garrus blinked from his bed.

"Wha..." he started until he was lifted by one arm and then shoved out into the hallway. Garrus blinked as the door slammed in his face. He shook his head and looked around. He opened his omnitool to look at the time. He shook his head again and reached for the door only to hear the distinct sound of krogan mating purr. Garrus quickly whipped his hand away from the doorknob. He started down the hall. He couldn't remember which room was John Shepard...but he could remember Jane. He would ask her if he could either crash on the decorative sofa or if she could direct him to John's room. He heard the sounds of the television and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, he blinked in surprise as he opened the door. The room was dark and as the two women moved in unison to look at him they both began to shriek before a blast of blue threw him across the hall. 

"Garrus!" Jane cried as she rushed out. "Ash, I told you that door lock wasn't functional. Garrus are you okay? 

"Why did you hit me?" he asked, blinking stupidly. 

"Garrus we've been watching a horror movie, you scared the shit out of us," Jane sighed as she helped him up. "Come on in, I'll patch you up. Why aren't you in your room?"

"Wrex has company for the night," he muttered.

"I didn't know there were female krogans this far out," Ash muttered.

"She's not," he replied.

"....ew...." Ash muttered. 

~*~*~

02:16 hours

John fed up with Kaidan’s quiet questions into the wee hours of the night. Normally, he himself would have been happy to stay up, talk, drink beer and bond with his crew. But he had to meet someone at 0600 hours to help arrange some things for his surprise for said crew. John finally had enough. He’d told the Alliance Biotic to stop worrying and headed out into the hall with his room card jammed into his short’s pocket, blanket and pillows in tow. He trudged wearily down hall to a set of large sofa cushions by the emergency exit near the vending machines. Sighing in relief, John spread out on them, tucked the blankets around him and rested his head on his pillows. He finally fell asleep to the soft hum of vending and ice machines.

~*~*~

"Sorry again, Garrus," Jane said as she and Ash escorted Garrus toward John and Kaidan's room. 

"I should have knocked, I was half asleep. I should have bunked with Kaidan," Garrus muttered. 

"Sorry about that," Jane chuckled. "I thought you and Wrex were getting along well." 

"We do...he just needed a single tonight," Garrus chuckled as Jane opened the door. 

"Do you have the Commander's door keyed to your omnitool as well?" Ash asked and Jane grinned.

"John insists on keeping the key cards and not programming them to his omnitool. I just made it habit to key his card into my omnitool," Jane opened the door. 

"Hmmm Commander?" Kaidan asked.

"Sorry to wake you, Kaidan. Hey John," Jane started.

"He left. I apparently annoyed him," Kaidan stated, rubbing his palm into his eye. He blinked and blushed as he pulled his covers up. Jane looked at the empty bed. 

"Where the hell is he?" Jane muttered.

"Found him," Ash chuckled and Jane looked at the door. Ash pointed at the vending area. 

"Come on Garrus, why don't you use this nice empty bed," Jane said and Garrus climbed in. 

"What are you up to?" he asked and Jane grinned from the door.

"Best you don't know...you now have plausible deniability," Jane chuckled as she closed the door. 

"I feel sorry for the Commander," Kaidan muttered and Garrus shook his head. 

"Can't talk...sleeping..." the turian muttered. 

~*~*~

“It-it-it’s so beautiful.” Tali said in awe as images of underwater life played before them on the screen. “Do Earth fish really look so colorful? Do they speak as well?”

“Oh my!” Liara gasped as music changed from light to a dark undertone. Her lip quivered as they showed a dark, vile looking fish watching the happy yellow and white fish.

“Run, run!”

~*~*~

"You know one of the major differences between my brother and myself are?" Jane asked as she stood over John.

"What's that?" Ash stated as she returned with the requested materials. 

"My brother can sleep through quite a bit," Jane grinned. "First, this is not an embarrassing place to be found."

"Commander...should I be involved?" Ash asked and Jane grinned. 

"I'll take full blame," Jane grinned. 

~*~*~

05:52 hours

“Shepard.”

John muttered and buried his head under his pillow.

“Shepard, why are you sleeping in the hall? And why are you colored?”

Colored? John slowly dragged himself from out from under his pillow and blearily blinked up at the figure standing over him.

Wrex was standing there, looking clearly amused. John thought he must have been hallucinating as there was a pretty little blond college girl practically molded into Wrex’s side.

“Wrex? What are you doing out here?” John asked, still a bit groggy. Wrex looked amused.

“I could ask you the same thing, Shepard. You’re on my door step.” Wrex rumbled. The girl giggled. John shook his head to clear it and looked around carefully.

The first thing he really noticed that he was no longer on the couch by the vending machines. He was lying on the hall floor, jammed up what had apparently been Garrus and Wrex’s hotel room door. He sat up and noticed that some had apparently drawn on his chest with what he hoped was lipstick and not paint. Frowning down at it he vaguely made out something about Turians not being allowed into the room in Jane’s scrawl. 

“Someone also drew a pretty good set of Turian mandibles on your face.” The blonde woman noted. John rolled his eyes and stood up. The woman gasped while Wrex let out a harsh bark of laughter. John looked down and noticed his shorts and boxers were gone. Swearing, John snatched up his blanket and wrapped it around his waist like a towel.

“Who is this?” John asked Wrex, gesturing to the blonde. Wrex smirked and wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist.

“This is J’dee. She was my mate for the night.” Wrex said proudly and the girl giggled. John’s eyes went wide as he glanced at them in shock. He opened his mouth to ask the obvious.

The pair looked at him curiously. 

John slowly closed his mouth and shook his head.

“I don’t want to know.” He said. He headed for the room he shared with Kaidan and it wasn’t until he got to the door that he realized something.

Whoever had taken his clothes had either intentionally or unintentionally taken his room key.

“I hate them all.” John hissed.

~*~*~

07:07 hours

Jane headed up to the shared room of Tali and Liara. They hadn't shown up for breakfast and since even Wrex showed up, Jane was a little worried about the two girls. She knocked on the door. There was a sound of a television. 

"What is it?" Liara asked as she opened the door, not looking at Jane but at the television. Jane looked in to see a woman walking across a snow covered mountain as she created an ice castle. 

"Oh my great grandmother loved that one," Jane smiled before noticing the bags under Liara's eyes. "Liara...when did you start watching Disney movies?" 

"After dinner," she stated and Jane moved to see Tali sitting at the foot of her bed rocking back and forth with the music.

"Have you two been up all night watching Disney movies?" Jane cried and the two looked at her.

"You didn't?" Tali asked. 

"Oh God..." Jane muttered. 

~*~*~

“Anyone seen John today?” Jane asked during lunch. Most of the crew shook their heads no but Wrex looked up.

“I saw him just before I escorted my mate for the night home.” He replied. A couple of people stared at him.

“I didn’t see any other Krogans here yesterday Wrex.” Tali said, puzzled. Wrex shot her a smug grin.

“Who said she was Krogan?” Wrex retorted, shooting Jane a wink. Jane smirked and shook her head. Everyone at their table and even the surrounding area was quiet.

“So…this is awkward.” Garrus noted.

~*~*~

Jane's omnitool pinged around the end of breakfast. 

"Hmm, looks like my bathing suit is going to get good use this leave," Jane grinned. "John's invited us to a beach party." 

"More volleyball for me," Ash grinned.

"Hmmm, I do believe I have one," Liara muttered.

"Tuchunka has no oceans, I enjoy oceans, they hold many edible goodies. I have heard tell about a shark..." Wrex began.

"I will not be covering another species being killed," Jane warned and Wrex huffed.

"It was only a few thousand credits," he humphed.

"Which you have not paid back yet," Jane retorted. 

~*~*~

“Hey it’s about time you guys showed up.” John said cheerfully. The crew had assemble where he’d asked them to be and were surprised to find one of their Commanders dressed in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals. He was also tending to two mounds covered with sand. One was three times as big as the other but the mouthwatering smell of cooking food filled the area.

“I should have known.” Jane mused, smiling. 

“What is this, John?” Garrus asked, looking around.

“My comrades in arms and friends, allow me to introduce you to the human custom called a clam bake.”

~*~*~

"You do have some talents," Jane stated as she stood next to John as he supervised the seafood. 

"I am your amazing older brother," he stated. 

"By fourteen minutes," Jane retorted as she headed towards the cooler. "At least you got the good beer."

"Like I wouldn't?" John chuckled. 

~*~*~

“I’m impressed, John.” Garrus said. John grinned and offered Garrus a Turian dextro beer he had tracked down during the day. While Jane and the others had played tour guides to non-humans, John had been running around in a rented air-car, picking up supplies.

“When Jane and I had our first weekend liberty during N-school I ended up in New England during a festival. I got invited to one and fell in love with it since.” John explained. A radio nearby was blaring out music and helped set the tone. Everyone was relaxing in the sand and enjoying the warm summer day.

“Still that you found Palaven crabs and clams? Amazing.” Garrus said. John shrugged and checked the time on his Omni-tool.

“Time to yank them out. Give me a hand?” 

“For you Commander? Always.”

~*~*~

"Looks like no volleyball here," Jane sighed as she began to lather sunblock on her arms and legs. 

"Need help with your back?" Kaidan asked and Jane smiled at him.

"Yeah that would be great," she said. Wrex chuckled and Jane shot him a look as Kaidan took the bottle of sun block out of her hands. 

"I see some kids with a Frisbee," Ash stated and Jane gave her a look. 

"What about it?" Jane asked.

"I'm going to see if I can get it," Ash grinned. 

~*~*~

“Catch!” 

John looked up from his plate to see a Frisbee gently floating thru the air towards him. Setting his plate aside, he caught it and smirked at the thrower, Ash. 

“Do I even want to know where you found this Chief?” He asked. Ash laughed.

“Paid some kids twenty credits for it!” she replied, moving toward her male Commander wearing a modest black one piece and jean shorts. “I have to say Commander, this is one of your best ideas. Everyone looks like they’re enjoying themselves.”

“After everything we’ve been through together so far, it seemed like a good idea for the ground team to decompress.” John replied. He saw Jane waving frantically at him from further up the beach. He stood up to throw the Frisbee at his sister. He saw a flash of biotic blue that changed its course to the Krogan who was braving the Earth surf. Wrex it snatched the plastic disc from the air and raised it above his head to roar in triumph.

“It is, but I do feel bad for Tali.” Ashley said and John followed her gaze. The Quarian in question was watching the ocean as the sun set behind them. The reflection in the water made it look like the sun was setting in the west and the east. “She can’t feel the sand on her feet, feel the crab legs in her fingers, hell even the food she eats is a bit bland after being sterilized by the filter on her helmet.”

“True.” John said, watching Tali wave happily at Garrus and Jane, before standing up to join them. “But I don’t think any other Quarian will have the same story as her. Think about how many different places she’s been and seen during her Pilgrimage. She told me a lot of Quarians don’t even see more than one or two worlds beyond the one they choose to start at. She’s been to dozens, including the Human home world.”

“That made me realize she might not even be with us when we bring Saren down.” Ash said and John frowned. “Once she finds a Pilgrimage gift she might head back to the flotilla.”

John frowned as he watched the lady in question laugh happily and jump onto of Wrex’s back.

“I think she might just stick around for a bit.”

~*~*~

The group was cleaning up as dusk fell. 

"Look at that," Jane chuckled, looking up and Kaidan blinked. Luna floated above them, a crescent of white in the night sky.

"It is beautiful," Kaidan stated.

"I grew up with moons that were blue and brown," Jane grinned. "I don't know if I will ever get over how elegant a white moon looks in the night sky." 

"You should see it set over the ocean," Kaidan grinned and Jane sighed. 

"I bet it is beautiful," she said and Kaidan nodded. "I never cease to be amazed by how amazing this galaxy can be." Kaidan blinked at that, noticing the jagged scar on her cheek. Jane Shepard, sole survivor of Akuze, one of the only two survivors of the Northern Continent of Mindoir. With all the horror she had seen in the galaxy, she still saw beauty in the night sky. Kaidan smiled and moved slightly closer as the two of them watched the moon for a while longer. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 21st, 2183 CE, 09:59 hours  
Location: Earth, North America, Vancouver, Alliance Dry Dock 7, SSV Normandy

“I like shore leave, but I have to say I’m relieved we’re back underway.” Jane said, stretching. John nodded in agreement.

“I feel the same way. I’m worried about Saren being out there.” John said. The ground team boarded the Normandy through the front airlock and John was happy to see Joker already at the helm. “Joker! What’s our status?”

“We’re tip-top, sir.” Joker replied. “We were just waiting on you guys.”

“Glad to hear it. Request clearance and get us in the air. Head for the relay and I’ll check for any outstanding messages. Then I’ll let you know our destination.” John ordered.

“Sorry, sir, I can't do that,” Joker grinned and John gave him a look.

"John," Jane stated and John looked at her.

"What?" he asked and Jane looked at the clock and John blinked. 

"Oh wise and intelligent, older sibling, your memory must be slipping. The Normandy is under MY command until 1300," Jane stated and John stared at her. 

"But I gave the order already," he stated and Jane looked at Joker.

"Sorry, Commander, I'm under her direct command," Joker said, wagging his eyebrows. 

"Joker, you know the drill, get us out of here. I want to start making trouble for Saren as soon as we can," Jane stated. 

"I..." John stated and Jane gave him a glare. "Command is yours." He headed down to the mess to wait the two hours till his shift began. 

"Your brother really forgets that he is sharing command, doesn't he," Joker stated.

"John wants Saren almost as much as I do," Jane stated and Joker gave her a look.

"Almost?" he asked and Jane shook her head.

"I had him in my scope, Joker, I had him and I let him go. I want to fix that mistake," Jane stated. 

~*~*~

“Message coming in from the brass at Arcturus, Commander.” Joker called out. John frowned and lowered his coffee cup. He wondered if they would have to make a detour before heading to Feros. 

“Patch it through Joker.” John said, setting the cup on the railing by the galaxy map.

“Patching it through.” Joke replied. There was a moment of static before the signal connected.

“Normandy? This is Admiral Hackett here. We’re getting reports warning marked increase of Geth activity in the Skyllian Verge. Surveillance drones have identified Geth outposts on four different plants in the Armstrong Cluster. We need someone to take them out.”

“Any idea what they’re doing out there, sir?” John asked. He could hear the admiral sigh.

“Hard to say. They might just be gathering intel on us. Or maybe they’re setting up grounds for hit and run attacks on human colonies. I know you feel a bit delayed in finding Saren but you’ve and your team have experience fighting the Geth. You’re the logical choice to take out these outposts.” 

“We’ll get right on it Admiral.” John assured the man.

“Excellent. We’re transmitting the locations of all known Geth outposts in the Armstrong Cluster to the Normandy now. Give my regards to your sister. Admiral Hackett out.” The message cut out with a small snap.

“Joker, set course for the Armstrong cluster.” John ordered. “I want to be on the ground as soon as possible.”

“The relay we were about to connect to also connects to that system Commander.” Joker replied. “Our ETA is 1400 hours. Also, the data from the Alliance shows the four systems suspected to have Geth activity are relatively close together. I’d estimate about an hour of travel from system to system.” The pilot replied. John grinned.

“Finally some good luck. Good work Joker.”

~*~*~

Jane was in the cargo bay doing her biotic training. 

"What the hell is that?" Kaidan asked in awe as Jane seemed to hover above the floor using her biotics to lift her up. 

"Asari push-up," Jane stated, controlling her breathing. 

"That's a hell of an exercise," he muttered. 

"A commando should be able to do this for five hours nonstop," Jane stated. 

"What are you up to?" Kaidan asked.

"Hour and twenty," Jane stated. "I am the current human record holder."

"Impressive," Kaidan stated.

"It would be more impressive if I could use it like the commandos do and jump from great heights and use it to break my fall. Been a little hesitant to try that," Jane chuckled before landing. 

"Still, that's something new," Kaidan muttered and Jane smiled at him. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 21st, 2183 CE, 14:16 hours  
Location: Armstrong Cluster, Vamshi System, Planet Maji

“Anything of yet?” Jane asked. John shook his head. So far they had seen nothing on this red, dusty planet that reminded him so much of Mars in the Sol system.

“Not a peep but I don’t expect on until we’re almost on top of them.” John replied.

“Geth aren’t limited by things like food and basic supply drops.” Tali spoke up from the back, looking at a survey of the terrain on her Omni-tool. “They would-” She was cut off for a moment as the Mako hit a particularly large divot and made the vehicle bounce up and down. “They would choose the best defensible location they could find. Something with the mountains providing cover and protection if need be. I think this area in the north is our best bet.”

“Okay then, let’s head for that area.” Jane said. John nodded his agreement and changed course. After a few minutes of driving they reached the area Tali had pointed out. Sure enough, the slope leading up the side of the mountain was littered with Geth turrets.

“Well shit.” John muttered. He heard a chuckling behind him from the gunner seat. 

“I’ve got this.” Ash replied and John blinked. He forgot it was Ash’s turn in the gunner spot.

“Go ahead and hit it, Gunnery Chief.” John said. The Mako’s guns roared, quickly taking down the turrets blocking the way. Shortly after the Mako was bouncing along merrily up the slope.

“So boring.” Wrex grumbled.

“Oh stop whining Wrex.” Jane scolded. “You had your turn on Noveria and if this base is like any other we’ll have to get out to clear it.”

“It’s not like any others.” John called over his shoulder as the Mako slowed to a stop. Jane moved forward to look over her brother’s shoulder at the monitors. There were sniper towers, they could see Geth troops moving about, including a Geth Colossus but everything, even the equipment was open to the elements. 

“I can finish this real quick Commanders.” Ashley said, just before she began opening fire. With John circling the base at a steady pace, she quickly did just that.

“Okay next Geth base, I think I’m just going to take Tali and a gunner.” John mused. Jane gave him a look.

"We need to talk in the comm room when we return to the Normandy," Jane stated. It wasn't a request. 

~*~*~

John entered the communications room and saw Jane standing there, giving him a look. 

"What now?" he huffed and Jane's look got darker. 

"I'm forgetting, John, but what is my rank?" Jane asked and John bit his lip. He'd pissed her off again. 

"Commander," he stated and leaned back against the wall. 

"Then stop snipping things at me like I'm Tali," Jane replied and John stopped. 

"You know I don't mean to do that," John stated and Jane gave him a look. 

"You drop orders at me like I'm under your command. We are not in N - 7 school anymore, John, and I will not be barked at like a subordinate when I have lead on a mission," Jane stated and John nodded at her.

"Jane, I'm sorry, I didn't mean you were inexperienced!" he stated. “I just think it would be a waste of time for the entire crew to go ground side for something this simple!”

"Then stop it, John," Jane stated. "You pulled that shit on Luna, calling for a retreat before seeing if anyone was trapped. Kaidan and I were pinned it was either waste energy fighting our way back out or holding our position to go forward on the next push. You never asked, you were so wrapped up in one injury that you endangered two others." 

"Tali was hurt, Jane!" John snapped and Jane looked at him. “I was trying to keep the teams in sync as best I could and I made a judgment call!”

"Tali made a rookie mistake, John, and you blamed yourself for putting her in the position to make that mistake. She took a hit. John, I watched the feeds of her being brought in and I read Chakwas' notes. Tali's greatest risk was infection. I have news for you John, she is always at risk for infection," Jane stated. "You risked Liara, Wrex, Garrus, Kaidan, Ash, and myself by panicking over Tali. I know you took Jenkins' death hard John, but you cannot do this." 

"I made a call to get a wounded teammate back to the ship." John argued and Jane’s look moved into a glare.

"Well I won't risk one teammate for six others," Jane stated. "You want to protect Tali. Start training her better and if you snap at me like a raw recruit again, I swear, I will throw you through the nearest wall." Jane marched out. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 21st, 2183 CE, 21:02 hours  
Location: Armstrong Cluster, Gagarin System, Planet Rayingri

“Mako this is Normandy, do you read?” 

“This is the Mako, go ahead, Jane.” John said. “Did you get your surveys of the system down, Jane?” There was a momentary crackle of static followed by Jane’s sigh of annoyance.

“Yes the system surveys went well. I just wanted to know how you three are doing.” Jane asked. John shot Garrus a grin as the Turian was adjusting his control of the gunner seat. 

“Everything’s going fine Jane. Nothing so far, but we might have narrowed it down. We’re heading to where we think the base might be located. Mako out.” John said, reaching over Tali’s shoulder as she drove to shut off the comms.

“Hey John wa-” John cut her off mid-sentence and Tali shot the Commander a look.

“You didn’t let her know I was driving?” Tali questioned. John grinned at her.

“Welllllll, technically only Alliance personnel should be driving the Mako.” John said and Garrus snorted. “The regulation oddly doesn’t apply to gunners, go figure.”

“Go figure.” Garrus said and chuckled.

“Besides, you need the experience.” John said. Tali stammered a bit before taking a deep breath.

“I appreciate your faith in me Commander but I’m not sure I can do this.” Tali blurted out. John frowned for a moment. He was afraid of this. Tali had been hurt before and he had noticed it. These other missions she had just been a fraction slow. When he’d asked her questions before as they were scouting the bases her responses had been slow and he could hear the self-doubt in her voice. Garrus had been giving John discrete looks of concern. She was hesitating and that could get her killed. John smiled at her and patted her on the shoulder.

“You’ll do fine.” John said. “I’ve been thinking about this during the last two missions in the other systems. Tali you’ve got the gift to lead. I’ve seen it. You improvise on the fly, you come up with solutions to problems and you know how to work. It wouldn’t surprise me when you go back to the Flotilla that they notice it too. I just want them be even more impressed by what you’ve learned.”

“Besides we shouldn’t even need to get out of the Mako.” Garrus said, scanning the horizon. “And even if we do, John and I are here. If you get into a trouble making a decision, we can help.”

“These have been cake walk missions, Tali.” John continued. “That’s the only reason I’m doing this. Just don’t let Jane find out.” Tali giggled.

“Okay then, setting course. Mr. Vakarian keep an eye out for any Geth activity.”

“Yes ma’am!”

~*~*~

“Say that again?” Jane asked. “You’re going to do what?”

“Jane it’s just a small survey outpost, the ones they set up in advance of mining teams.” John replied from the surface. “I know we can just clear the base with only the three of us.”

“John remember what we talked about earlier today.” Jane replied. There was a few moments of silence.

“Jane this is me doing that.” John replied. “You’re right so we need to do this. Just Garrus, Tali and me.” Jane sighed and rubbed her temples.

“John, I know what you’re trying to do but this goes against Alliance protocol. You know better.” Jane stated coldly. “Because when infiltrating an enemy base, you should wait until back up is within fifteen minutes response time. You know, to keep the amount of time a person has to bleed to a minimum.” 

It was quiet for a few minutes before the signal let out a beep.

“He’s requesting a private comm line with you, Commander.” Joker replied. Jane sighed. 

“Put it through into the comm room Joker.” Jane replied before heading for that room. She hit a switch on the holo display. No image came up but she could hear John’s breathing on the other end. “You’re on a private line John.”

“Jane, Tali needs to do this.” John said quietly. “She’s been hesitating and what you said earlier didn’t fall on deaf ears. She do this and besides you know a typical strike team has only three members.”

“John,” Jane said quietly, “I know you are trying but this is dangerous. Just the three of you, no backup going into the unknown. Before we made up with by sheer numbers.”

“I know but I trust you.” John said bluntly. Jane sighed and rubbed her forehead. 

“Okay, then go.”

~*~*~

“How would you like us to proceed, ma’am?” John asked Tali shortly after he got off the comm with Jane. Tali paused.

“Commander, I’m not sure I can do this. This is completely different than driving the Mako around while Garrus shoots.” 

“I understand that and if you think you’re not ready I’ll take command, but I think you can do it.” John reassured her.

“I feel the same way Tali.” Garrus chimed in, offering his support. Tali was quiet for a moment before she shook her head.

“I can’t, I’m sorry.” Tali squeaked. John smiled and patted her on the shoulder. 

“It’s okay, I couldn’t either my first time. I’ll take over.” John said, moving forward in the lead. “Garrus cover fire, Tali stay mid group.”

“Yes sir.” Both people replied moving into position. John led the way into the base and it was quiet, for now. That gave Tali the courage to ask…

“You couldn’t lead either the first time?” Tali asked. John chuckled.

“During boot camp.” John explained. “My instructors noticed the same leadership qualities in me as I see in you. So they started throwing me into leadership roles and officer training. During a mock war game simulation I got my first command. It was a disaster. I got everyone ‘killed’, as it were.” John maid quotation marks in the air as he said killed. 

“How?” Tali asked and John shrugged.

“I froze. When it came time to lead my men I just didn’t do anything. The men were pretty unhappy about it until the instructors came over to explain. Everyone when they first start to learn has a single moment where they just can’t lead. Everything gets to them. The pressure, the doubts, everything just hits you and your mind and body just can’t.” John explained. “They showed me how to get over it.”

“And how did you, John?” Tali asked. John smiled at her just before he opened the doors leading from the entrance into the heart of the little base.

“I didn’t but I realized that if I didn’t lead when I was in charge people would get hurt and as long as I can I’ll never get anyone hurt if I can help it.”

~*~*~

"John! Tali! Garrus! Report, I need you to report!" Jane called into her communicator. "Damn it, John! There is a Geth drop ship heading your way. I repeat. There is a geth drop ship heading your way!" 

"I found out the problem," Joker stated.

"What is it?" Jane asked and he gave her a look.

"That Geth drop ship has a jamming signal, stronger than the one they used on Eden Prime. They can't contact us and we can't contact them," Joker stated and Jane began to flash biotic blue. 

"Damn him, I told him, I told him don't go looking for trouble while we checked that damn signal!" Jane panted as she tried to cool down. "I swear he better come back!" 

~*~*~

“Strange.” Garrus mused. The team had just left the base after clearing it of husks and Geth, and just survived an ambush the Geth set up using a drop ship. “I expected one of these outposts to be the main base of operations for this incursion.

“I want to know why the Normandy missed a Geth drop ship heading for us.” John grumped.

“Hold on. This receiver’s picking up some kind of transmission. Based on its signal strength, I’d say it’s coming from inside this star cluster.” Tali said, looking at some readings on her Omni-tool.

“Then let’s signal the Normandy for a pick up. Once back onboard you can narrow down the system, Tali.” John said, tapping open his communicator.

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 21st, 2183 CE, 22:47 hours  
Location: Armstrong Cluster, Grissom System, Planet Notanban’s Moon: Solcrum

"Commander?" Tali asked from the mako as Jane carefully collected the Matriarch's writings from the dig site. 

"Sorry, Tali, I wanted to make sure to collect this before the geth had a chance to destroy it," Jane stated as she got into the gunner position. 

"It is alright, I just wanted to say thank you," Tali stated and Jane gave her a look. 

"You don't need to do that," Jane replied.

"But I thought you didn't want to waste time helping me with my pilgrimage," Tali stated and Jane blinked.

"Tali...where did you get that idea?" Jane asked and the young quarian looked down.

"Commander Shepard. He has been training me more lately, you barely speak to me," Tali confessed and Jane pinched the bridge of her nose. 

"Tali, I'm not training you because my skill sets don't suit you. I'm a biotic with a specialty in sniper rifles. You're a tech expert who relies on a shotgun. Personally I think that Wrex should be training you with firearms and Garrus and Kaidan should be training you on tech," Jane stated and Tali stared at her.

"You don't dislike me?" Tali asked and Jane smiled.

"I like you plenty, but John needs to get over your injury. He feels he caused it so I'm letting him have his time training you. Personally, if I were you, I would hang out with Wrex for shotgun tips and with Kaidan and Garrus to get their tech advice. I'm pretty sure you are the best trained tech on the ship, but they have their talents too," Jane stated as they approached the final base. "Never think that I distrust or dislike you Tali, you are one of the most talented techs I have ever met, one of the most courageous young people I know, and one of the few non-humans I trust at my back." 

"Thank you, Commander," Tali whispered. 

"Alright, Ash, you drive, I'm going to man the gun," Jane ordered as they rushed the last base. 

~*~*~

The group entered the ship and Jane opened up the recording of the quarian singing the lament. 

"What's that?" Garrus asked and Jane smiled sadly.

"A piece of history that was probably considered lost," she stated. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 21st, 2183 CE, 01:12 hours  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Transit

John poked his head into the engine room and smiled. Sure enough, there was Tali working diligently at her console. John came up behind her and cleared his throat. Tali spun around in surprise.

“I thought I said for you to get some sleep?” John teased. Tali laughed nervously.

“Well I wanted to get some of my mission details down while they were still fresh.” Tali explained and John chuckled.

“I do the same thing myself. Anyways I wanted to give you this.” John said, handing Tali a data pad with a memory expansion device attached.

“Shepard what is-” Tali trailed off into a gasp as she review the data. “This is the information from the Geth control nodes! I thought you uploaded this to Alliance command!”

“I did.” John explained. “And after I reviewed it I saw nothing in there that had nothing dangerous to the Alliance I made of a copy of it for you. Would this help be a good Pilgrimage gift?”

Tali was still for a moment before leaping at John. She wrapped her arms around the human male in a tight hug.

“Oh this is wonderful!” she cried. “Thank you, Shepard! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank-”

“I get it Tali.” John laughed, hugging the Quarian back before gently pulling her off him. “Now go get some rest. We’ve had a hell of a busy day.”

“Yes sir!” Tali saluted, hurrying out of the engine room, eagerly studying the data pad.

John shook his head. She’d certainly come a long way from the shy little thing she’d been when he’d first met her a month ago.

~*~*~


	7. Justice or Vengeance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the way to Ferros the twins stop to confront Garrus' demon with Jane leading him on the paragon path. Yet Jane is faced with her own demons. Can she truly be the paragon she presented to Garrus or will the demons of Akuze and Mindoir turn her blue to red?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: June 23rd, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Transit near Hades Gamma Relay

Jane was looking over the recon on Feros John had compiled during his shift when the comm began to blink. She ignored it, letting Joker take the call. 

“This is the SSV Normandy,” Joker stated. He paused for a second. “She’s on the bridge as we speak. Roger.” He looked at Jane and she looked up from her data pad. 

“Who is it?” she asked.

“Detective Chellick from C-Sec,” Joker stated and Jane’s eyes narrowed.

“That was fast, I only sent him that request two days ago...patch him through to my comm, Joker,” she stated. “This is Spectre Jane Shepard.” 

“Detective Decian Chellick returning your contact,” A Turian voice stated over the comm. “I have to confess, Shepard, I didn’t think I would hear from either one of you.” 

“My brother mentioned you by name. Said you were ruthless,” Jane stated as she opened a second window on her data pad. 

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment…” Chellick began and Jane chuckled.

“It’s not but I needed ruthless. When I heard about this case, I felt the need to make sure justice was served,” Jane stated. 

“I can’t argue with that. I can confirm all the information you sent me, but I can raise you a lead,” Chellick stated. 

“Oh?” Jane asked. 

“Yes, there was a sting operation for black market organs recently. One of the dealers made a mention of going out to Kepler Verge for a pick up from the MSV Fedele,” Chellick stated. 

“What will this lead cost me?” Jane asked. 

“For you, Spectre, take this guy down and I’ll owe you,” Chellick said and Jane blinked.

“That is incredibly generous, Detective,” Jane stated.

“I’m no saint Shepard, but sometimes,” Chellick stated. “It’s good to have a Spectre willing to listen when we have a case like this. Maybe in the future, I might tip you off on similar cases.” Jane realized what Chellick was hinting at. 

“You have my ear, Chellick…just let me take down Saren first,” Jane stated.

“Just your ear, Commander?” Chellick asked.

“I…wouldn’t count on my brother just yet, Detective, he didn’t care for how you treated your informants,” Jane stated. 

“I suppose I deserved that,” Chellick stated. “Still, having one of the Shepards is not too bad.” 

“I won’t chase every Citadel escapee, but the ones that are like this…yeah, keep me in the loop,” Jane stated. 

“I look forward to working with you, Spectre,” Chellick stated and Jane nodded. 

“Thank you for the info, Detective,” Jane stated. “I’ll be in touch.” Jane ended the call and looked at Joker. “Change of plans, Joker, we’re heading to Kepler Verge.” 

“Anything in particular that we’re looking for?” he asked.

“I’ll know it when we see it,” Jane stated. “I need to go let John know what I’m up to.” 

~*~*~

“Now watch.” Wrex rumbled. John was standing with Tali, watching Wrex show off. The Krogan grabbed the shot gun, and to John’s surprise, smacked it as it unfolded ejecting the heat sink and slapping a new one in, all before it finished unfolding. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” Tali replied in shock, “I’ve never seen that before.”

“Me neither, I’ve always had to take mine apart to replace a damaged heat sink. They’re not really designed to be interchanged like that.” John said, shaking his head. Wrex let out deep laugh.

“I can show you and the Quarian how to do it.” Wrex offered as the elevator opened and Jane entered the room. She shot John a look.

“Maybe later, Wrex. I think Jane wants to talk about something.” John said as he headed for his sister. He did smile at what Tali said next. 

“I’d like to take you up on that offer, Wrex.”

John followed his sister into the elevator. She hit the button for the crew deck and started speaking almost as soon as the doors closed.

“Did Garrus ever tell you about Dr. Saleon?” she asked. John thought for a moment before nodding.

“He mentioned it during one of our talks between relay jumps after Earth. Why do you ask?” John inquired and Jane smirked at him.

“Chellick contact me a few minutes ago. Apparently he had a lead on some black market organs coming from a ship named the Fedele.” Jane explained. John scowled as the elevator doors opened. They were silent as they headed for their cabin, but he did exchanged polite nods with Ash and Kaidan as they passed the two having dinner with some of the Normandy’s other crew. As soon as they were in their cabin Jane sat in one of the chairs at the small table in the middle of the room. John sat in the other.

“What did he want in exchange for this information?” He asked. Jane frowned.

“Apparently nothing, he even said he’d owe me a favor afterwards,” she explained. John grunted and crossed his arms.

“Bullshit. I bet you good credits he knows Garrus is onboard too,” John mused, “he just wants us to clean up his mess like with Jenna. He knows I’d tell him to get lost which is why he contacted you instead of me, who he’s dealt with personally already.”

“Actually, I contacted him. When Garrus told me about Saleon I got the feeling he saw joining us as an excuse to circumvent the law. We can't let Garrus think that being Spectres is about being above the law,” Jane corrected. She sighed and leaned back into her chair. “Plus it’ll be good for Garrus to put this to bed.”

“So where is Saleon?” He asked.

“Somewhere in the Kepler Verge. I was think we’d go over this with Garrus in the morning and we do have some info from Noveria that something is going on in that system already. This just gives us more of a reason to stop.”

“Fair enough.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 24th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Orbit around Ontarom

“So what do we have here?” Garrus asked and Jane looked at John as they stood around the planning table in their quarters.

“If you remember our visit to Noveria, we came across a terminal that indicated that something was up on Ontarom,” John stated and Jane pointed at their scan. 

“We have a very obvious complex right here, however we have detected some minerals and other interesting tidbits around. We are going to hit up these locations first and then hit the complex,” Jane stated. “This should be a simple in and out.”

“We also want to check out the surrounding systems. We got a tip on possible black market organs coming from this system,” John explained and Garrus went still for a moment.

“Saleon?” he inquired. John shrugged while Jane nodded.

“I think so but we have firm info about Ontarom in the Columbia system. So we’re going to start there and work our way out from there.” Jane explained.

“You okay with that Garrus?” John asked. The Turian was quiet for a moment before grinning.

~*~*~

“Hold up for a minute.” John called up to Jane from the back of the Mako. They had been heading for the base when he spotted something on the readings. Jane slowed the Mako to a stop and turned around.

“What’s up John?” she inquired. John turned off the display from his Omni-tool that was showing the Mako’s sensor readings and moved by the others to get near his sister. 

“I saw a mineral reading as we were passing by. It looks like gold and if no one has a claim on it, I want it.” He explained. Garrus and Wrex groaned in annoyance while Jane just chuckled. The others were just shaking their heads.

“You can take the colonist off the colony but you can't take the colony out of the colonist. Go on out and take two people with you. We’ll wait here.” Jane said. John nodded and pointed at Liara and Kaidan to follow him as he popped the hatch. As they exited he was thankful Ontarom had a breathable atmosphere, otherwise this little detour would have been even more annoying. He led his friends up a short hill, past what were essentially space cows. One trotted over to them but they brushed past it to the ore deposit. That’s when all of their Omni-tools began to beep in warning.

“Commander, someone is slowly draining some of my credits away.” Kaidan said, raising his Omni-tool in surprise. Liara checked hers as well and blinked in shock.

“Mine too!” the Asari exclaimed. John scowled and circled around, but saw nothing but the Mako idling nearby, the cow that was following them, the ore deposit, and more cows.

“Now it’s stopped!” Liara spoke, puzzlement in her voice. John frowned.

“When we get back to the Mako let’s have Tali go over them. Maybe we picked up a virus or Trojan back on Noveria.” John said, turning back to the ore deposit. As soon as they started again, all of their Omni-tools beeped in warning again.

“Oh come on!” Kaidan exclaimed. Once again the squad turning around to find out what was doing it, and again nothing but that damn cow was still following them…

“It can’t be.” John muttered. He circled the cow once but kept his eyes on it. Then, just as he turned his back on it, his credits started to drain away again.

“That’s it!” John shouted. To Liara’s and Kaidan’s shock he snatched his shotgun off his lower back, pressed the tip to the cow’s head and blew it clean off. The cow twitched and fell over in a bloody mess. This time when he turned to head back to the gold deposit his credits stayed secured.

“What the hell was that?” Jane demanded over the radio and John grunted.

“I’ll explain when I get back to the Mako.”

~*~*~

The group was parked on the plateau over the complex. 

“Jane, take Ash and Garrus and prep here for sniping. I’m going to take the rest of the team in the Mako and drive around, be a distraction,” John stated. The three mentioned quickly got out of the Mako and trotted over to small cluster of rocks to take cover as John sped off. Jane settled herself on the rocks, set her rifle and looked through the scope. 

“We have two snipers. Ash, Garrus, you two are on the snipers, I’ll take the first non-sniper furthest from the Mako,” Jane stated. Jane and the other snipers sight their targets and she clicked on her comm. “We’re set, John.” 

“Call off second target…if John gives you a chance,” Jane stated as they waited. It didn’t take long for the Mako to fly up the hill. Three shots fired and the three targets dropped while the Mako landed on a fourth and the cannon decimated the fifth. 

“Never saw me coming,” Garrus chuckled and Jane nodded as they began walking down the slope to where the rest of the group was getting out of the Mako. Wrex was making sure the one run over by the Mako was dead as the snipers approached. Jane shook her head as the Krogan unloaded his shotgun into the flattened corpse until it overheated.

“We ready?” John asked and Jane nodded. “Let’s see what we have.” The group entered the first room. 

“We’re clear,” Kaidan said as they reached the next door. 

“Let me through,” Wrex purred.

“Be ready,” John warned before nodding at Wrex. The Krogan opened the door and the sounds of mercenaries quickly broke out. 

“They have a Krogan!” Wrex cried out happily. 

“He is way too excited about that,” Garrus sighed and Jane nodded as she threw up a shield and slipped into the room. 

“Watch the sniper!” Ash cried before the sniper’s head blew up. “Never mind!” 

“Watch their Krogan!” Liara called as she Lifted him in time for Wrex to slam into the mid-air Krogan. The team moved quickly and soon enough the room was clear. 

“These are mercs,” Garrus stated as he looked over the bodies. 

“Not one of the big organizations either,” John grumbled. Wrex grunted in agreement.

“What the hell is going on?” Jane muttered as they reached the back room. The Shepards were side by side as point, Kaidan moved to the door. John nodded and Kaidan hit the door. It opened to reveal a mercenary holding a gun on a man. 

“Stay back! I’ve got no grief with you! All I want is this bastard!” the man cried and Jane paused, that voice was familiar. The man was in a science uniform and he looked at the group with a desperate gaze.

“Please! He’s a madman!” the scientist cried and Jane looked at the mercenary again. “Mr. Toombs, you’re insane! You need help!” Jane’s blood froze. Toombs…it couldn’t be. John said nothing but he clearly noticed something was wrong with Jane. 

“Shut up! You don’t get to lie! You don’t…” Toombs snarled before looking at Jane. “Shepard? My god, Shepard, is that you?” Jane lowered her pistol. 

“Corporal Toombs? But…I saw you die on Akuze! How did you get here?” Jane asked, the memory of the thresher maws howls and the screams of men played in Jane’s mind. 

“They took me, Shepard. The scientists,” Toombs said, the desperation in his eyes, Jane still couldn’t believe it was Toombs. 

“You can’t prove any of this! This man is delusional!” the scientist cried and Jane ignored him as she kept her attention on Toombs. 

“See, they were running tests on the thresher maws. They let those things hit us just to watch and study,” Toombs said and Jane felt her stomach drop. Hicks’ face as he asked her out flashed in her mind, quickly followed by the expression on his disembodied head as she ran for her life. It was on purpose…they had died on purpose. It took all of Jane’s control to keep from dropping. “I woke up in a holding cell. The scientists were delighted I’d survived. Now they had someone to run tests on.” Jane stared at him.

“Toombs, I…I didn’t see anybody. If I’d seen you, I’d have come back for you. I swear,” Jane said and Toombs gave her a look. There was something unspoken between the two Akuze soldiers.

“You can’t believe Toombs! He doesn’t have any proof! I demand a fair trial!” the scientist cried and Jane shot him an unfriendly look.

“She was there, you bastard! She knows the truth!” Toombs snarled as he aimed his gun neck level. “They’re part of some organization, Cerberus that runs secret tests like this. They treated me like a lab animal. This man deserves to die, Shepard. For you, for me, for everyone else in the unit. Are you with me?” Jane looked at Toombs, she was so happy he was alive, but killing the scientist…it would feel good, but she could sense John’s tense body. John was trusting her and with all they had gone through so far, John needed to know he could still trust her. She thought about Toombs before and remembered an honorable man. 

“You’re better than this, Toombs. You’re not like them,” Jane said and Toombs glared at her. 

“Don’t tell me who I am! You got away with a few scratches and a scary reputation!” Toombs snarled. “The rest of the unit died, and I was tortured for years, Shepard! You can’t judge me! You don’t have the right!” Jane locked eyes with Toombs.

“Toombs, if I could’ve helped you on Akuze, I would have. All I can do is help now. Let me,” Jane said. The screams of men years dead echoed in her ears as she looked at him. Toombs looked back at Jane, the haunted look in their eyes matched. 

“Okay, I’m no murderer,” Toombs said as he lowered his gun. “They couldn’t make me one. Just as long as he goes to trial. Maybe the screaming will stop now. I don’t know.” Toombs put his pistol away and Jane reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. 

“Those bastards can’t hurt you anymore,” Jane said before using her other hand to press her comm. “Joker, tell the Fifth Fleet we need a ship for pick-up.” 

“Aye aye, Ma’am,” Joker said and Jane looked at Toombs. 

“We will get you justice, Corporal, we will get them all justice,” Jane said and John saw something pass between his sister and her soldier back from the dead. 

~*~*~

Jane floated in the hold, biotics lighting the room.

“How are you holding up?” Kaidan asked and Jane’s feet touched the ground. She looked at him a moment before she grabbed a protein shake near her towel. 

“I’ve been better,” Jane stated. “Seeing Toombs opened some old wounds.” Kaidan nodded as he leaned against the support. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kaidan asked and Jane took a sip of her shake. 

“Did I ever tell you why I specialized in sniping?” Jane asked and Kaidan shook his head. “When I first enlisted my recruiter made a comment.” 

“What did they say?” Kaidan asked, he knew there were some people who were not trusting of biotics and they were known to say less than positive things.

“She wasn’t rude, she had seen me shielding,” Jane stated. “She said she couldn’t wait to have a biotic shield like mine holding the frontline. I took the Officer’s Entrance Exam, I got a 1550, and she was already setting me up for a human shield.” 

“1550?” Kaidan whistled. “That’s…that’s impressive.” 

“It is, but she didn’t see my career as anything more than a biotic shield,” Jane said. “So I decided to show that I wasn’t just a one trick pony. I wasn’t just a biotic. Do you know the rate of biotics that go into the sniping program?” 

“I imagine there aren’t many,” Kaidan stated.

“I was the first, if you look at the Asari, most of their soldiers are biotics, so being a biotic has nothing to do with your military training. Asari biotics are found in every training unit, in fact, there are few Asari commandos who are not training in multiple areas. The Alliance throws biotics straight to the front lines to be shields. Forget if they might be better medics, better techs, or better snipers, a biotic is a shield to the Alliance. I joined the Alliance because I wanted to save lives, to keep another Mindoir from happening. I won't have my fate picked out for me," Jane said as she looked at her shake bottle. "I will not be judged by one aspect of my being, be it being a biotic or a woman or a human, I am more than just a biotic. I chose to snipe because people assume a biotic's place is in the front lines, that is as assumptive as saying a woman's place is in the kitchen." 

"So you don't cook?" Kaidan joked and Jane smiled. 

"Actually I cook well, I just don't often have a real kitchen to work in, but you get my point, right?" Jane asked and Kaidan nodded as he looked at her. 

"Yeah, if I had a score of 1550 on an Officer's Entrance Exam I might have gone for a different specialization myself," he said and Jane smiled.

"In what?" she asked and he shrugged. 

"Didn't think about it until just now," Kaidan replied as Jane's omnitool beeped. 

"Sorry, I need to grab a shower and some sleep," she said and waved as she walked to the elevator, Kaidan's eyes following her as she left. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 27th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Herschel system

“Sir? I’ve got an IFF signal of the MSV Fedele.” Joker called behind him. John gave back the data pad to the crewman who had been speaking to him and made his way to the pilot.

“Is she responding to our hails?” John asked. He leaned over Joker’s shoulder to peer at the readings. The Fedele was a civilian ship but this one had been modified with several biological research modules attached. 

“Actually they’re trying to use the nearby planet to shadow them and skirt by us.” Joke replied, his fingers flying over the controls and the Normandy responding. 

“Don’t lose them Joker. If you do…” John trailed off as Joker brought the Normandy directly into their path. The other ship tried to veer away but Joker was right on them. This time they powered down their engines.

“Damn good work, Joker,” John praised. “I’m going back to get a boarding team. Keep them in line if they try anything else.” He turned to go get his sister only to find her watching him and Joker.

“Actually Joker sent me a message just when he called you.” Jane said, grinning and Joker laughed nervously.

“Sorry Commander, I forgot to mention it.” Joker said and John shook his head, smiling a bit.

“It’s alright Joker.”

“Come on John. Garrus wants just you and me to go with him.” Jane explained. John smiled.

“This is going to be interesting.”

~*~*~

"No one is answering our hails, Commander," Joker said over the comm as the group prepared to board.

"They’re not very friendly," John grunted, “this doesn’t feel right at all.” Jane nodded in understanding.

"He's probably getting ready to bolt in an escape pod, let's be quick," Jane stated as they entered. The main cargo hold was set up with walls made out of containers and there was the sound of something moving. Garrus gave Jane a look, he heard it too. 

"Take the rear, Garrus," Jane ordered as she let John take point. They moved through the crates until they saw the creatures. They were twisted and vaguely reminded Jane of the husks on Eden prime. 

"Incoming," John shouted and Jane saw a canister, she threw it at the approaching creatures and John fired. The blast knocked the creatures back. There weren't many and the canister took the majority down. Jane look at the creatures, they were most likely humans that had been tested on, but something about them looked plant like. Hard to tell without an autopsy. One managed to get by but John caught it with his free hand. Jane was wondering why he didn’t shoot it when she saw his assault rifle was discharging heat, obviously overheated. John casually bashed the creature into a crate, smashing its head in.

"I think the doctor is in," Jane muttered as they moved through the ship. 

“He’s a sick bastard.” John muttered, switch his rifle for his shot gun. 

“I have a bad feeling that those things may have been his crew.” Garrus noted. John grunted in agreement. They checked the bridge but it was empty. They opened the next room and Jane saw the Salarian. His large eyes gazed at her and she returned the stare. 

"Thank you for saving me from those...things," he said. Jane stood down but didn't holster her weapon. She saw John move a bit to right, his gun still pointed at the Doctor.

"Commander, that's him. That's Dr. Saleon," Garrus stated and the Salarian's eyes flickered to Garrus as his mouth pursed. 

"What? No, my name is Heart!" he cried and Jane wanted to shake her head. Some never believed that they were caught. "Please, get me out of here." Jane gave a look to Garrus, the look in his eyes was enough for her.

"Are you sure it's him?" John asked and Garrus nodded.

"Positive," he stated. "There's no escape this time, Doctor. I'd harvest your organs first, but we don't have the time."

"You're crazy. He's crazy. Please, don't let him do this to me," Dr. Saleon cried and Jane saw the cold coming into Garrus' eyes. She knew that feeling too well, the mental killing zone. She couldn't let Garrus forget, they were serving the law. Murder, even justifiable, was still murder. 

"We'll take him in. Drop him off with the military," Jane stated and John gave her an approving nod. Jane could tell John was worried, but this therapy was for Garrus. Saleon wasn't her demon. 

"But...we have him. We can't let him get away. Not again?" Garrus cried and Jane gave him a look. 

"If he dies, we'll never know what he's been up to, or how he did it. We'll take him in, interrogate him, and he'll serve his time," Jane said and Garrus' eyes spoke of his readiness to follow orders but his body language was tense with contradictory thought. 

"I've...okay. You're right," he said and Jane smiled. He was letting go of this demon, maybe one day she would be able to do the same. "You're a very lucky Salarian. You owe the commander your life." 

"Oh. Thank you so very much!" Saleon sneered, his handing flying to his hip for his pistol. Jane brought her hand up, crackling with blue light. She threw Saleon into the air, even as he was moving his hand grasped at the pistol at his hip and she brought her own pistol up. The shot hit him in the head, splattering his brains on the ceiling behind him. She holstered her weapon and watched the body hit the floor. 

"And so he dies anyway. What was the point of that?" Garrus snapped and Jane gave him a look. 

"You can't predict how people will act, Garrus. But you can control how you'll respond. In the end, that's what really matters," Jane said and Garrus gave her a very thoughtful look.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever met anyone like you, Commander," Garrus said and Jane smiled. 

"Watch it, Garrus, don't think I don't know about you sneaking into my baby sister's room when we were back on Earth," John interrupted and Jane rolled her eyes as Garrus started to sputter. 

"Ignore my idiot brother, Garrus, he just couldn't help himself. He has this strange idea that his jokes are funny," Jane stated. "We're done here."

~*~*~

John was busying cleaning his left gauntlet of his armor. That creature on the Fedele hadn’t damaged it but it’s…gunk was covering the glove and arm pad. He’d noticed it had been stiff to close and he’d decided to clean it and do some routine maintenance on his armor before Feros. Jane had taken command of the Normandy shortly after they got back anyways. It was perfect time to rest and decompress. He looked up as Ashley finished her maintenance on his rifle and held it out to him. He nodded at the table in front of him and she set it there. 

“You were right Commander that heat sink was going bad. I replaced it and the barrel too. The end was off by a millimeter.” Ash explained and John smiled at her before turning back to his armor.

“Thanks Ash, I thought my aim was off a bit.” John explained. He frowned as the solvent didn’t get rid of some of the crud between the finger joints. Scowling he picked up a small bristle brush and began to scrub at them. 

“Mind if I join you two?” Garrus inquired, approaching Ash’s maintenance table with his sniper rifle. Ash shrugged and John waved his hand at space by the table.

“Help yourself.” John said. Garrus came over and quickly began to disassemble his rifle. The three work in companionable silence for a few minutes.

“So how are you doing Garrus?” Ash asked after a few minutes. John glanced at the Gunnery Chief, noting she was now giving a pistol a once over that he was sure was Tali’s.

“I feel good actually, if a little tired.” Garrus said after a moment. “I’ll never have to lay there at night, trying to sleep and thinking about what Saleon is doing out there. Who he’s butchering.”

“Well we’re going to Feros in the next few days.” John said, finishing up cleaning his armor. He gathered it up in his arms and headed for his locker storing it away. “I’ll go talk to Jane about letting you in on light duty for the next day. You get some sleep, my friend.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: June 29th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, in transit between Kepler Verge and Attican Beta

"So ExoGeni is in charge of the Feros colony development," Joker stated as Jane took a seat in the co-pilot's seat. She had a steaming mug of what smelled like chocolate while she looked over a data pad. 

"Yes they are," she replied.

"And Saren is interested in them," Joker led.

"I somehow dislike the idea of Saren being interested in another human colony," Jane stated and Joker nodded. 

"How are you holding up?" Joker asked and Jane shrugged.

"To be fair. I have been in much worse condition than this," she stated and Joker nodded before the comm beeped. "Who is it?" 

"Fifth Fleet," Joker stated.

"Patch it through," Jane said. 

"Normandy, this is Admiral Hackett with Fifth Fleet," the stern voice stated.

"It's Jane, Admiral," Jane stated. 

"Where is the Normandy located?" Hackett demanded.

"In transit right now, heading to Attican Beta," Jane responded. 

"We have some intel that points to a Batarian attack on Terra Nova," Hackett stated and Jane's eyes narrowed. 

"How long do we have?" Jane asked as she gave Joker a look. 

"Unknown, get there fast, Shepard," Hackett ordered.

"Adjusting course now, Admiral. Shepard out," Jane said. "Joker, set course for Terra Nova...we need to be there yesterday." She got up. 

"Informing Commander Brother?" Joker asked. 

"ETA?" she asked. 

"I can get us there in thirty hours," he said and Jane grit her teeth.

"Let's pray we get there in time," Jane whispered as she headed to wake up her brother. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 1st, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Approaching Asteroid X57 

"Here's what we know," Jane stated as they pulled up the holo of the asteroid. "Twelve hours ago a group of Batarian terrorists landed on Asteroid X57. Terra Nova is planning on using this particular chunk of rock for resources and then for use as an orbital station. The Batarians are planning on throwing her into Terra Nova...most likely into Scott, the capital." 

"The death toll will be staggering," Liara gasped. 

"Bastards," Ash added. Jane nodded. 

"Intel got wind of the location but not the plan. We need to go in and we need to go in fast and quiet," John stated. 

"Small team on this one, guys," Jane stated. 

"Commanders," Kaidan said and the two nodded. 

"We're tagging Tali and Garrus on this one," John stated and the two mentioned crewmen nodded. "We slip in under the radar and we take them out systematically."

"Roger that," Tali stated. 

"Gear up, we're on the ground in ten," Jane ordered and the room cleared out. 

~*~*~

As the Normandy was sweeping by the drop the Mako the Normandy’s VI connected to this comms. 

“Status: Sensors reveal three fusion torches propelling Asteroid X57. At its current rate of acceleration, the asteroid will collide with Terra Nova in approximately four hours. Analysis: Torches must be disabled to cease the acceleration.” The computer program chirped. John was strapped into the Mako’s pilot seat with Jane, Garrus and Tali in their seats behind them.

“Shit.” Jane muttered. 

“Everyone set a timer on your Omni-tools for three and half hours.” John ordered, doing the aforementioned to his own. “We are officially on the clock now.”

“Commanders, I’m getting a distress call from the asteroid.” John said over the comm. John looked over his shoulder to see Jane was scowling.

“Put it through Joker.” Jane ordered.

“Aye, aye ma’am. Patching in through.” There was a momentary squelch and then the message came in.

“-lo? Hello? I heard your transmission. Can you hear me? They haven't found me yet but I can't talk long.” The Mako jerked as the Normandy launch it out of the shuttle bay, sending it to the asteroid below. “Please. Shut down the fusion torches or we're all going to die. God, I hope you're hearing this.”

“John resource asteroids like this are usually brought into orbit for the supplies.” Jane said as John stomped on the accelerator, making the Mako zoom forward.

“I remember. I know they set up transmitters to boost communications on the asteroid and with the colony. We could use it to find the outposts and fusion torches but that would waste I have some general readings the Normandy took with heat blooms. We can use them to find the torches and waste less time trying to find the transmitter.” John explained. “I’m heading for one of the heat blooms now.”

“Actually Commanders, we Quarians have encountered used Alliance resource asteroids before.” Tali chimed in from the back. “We learned how to send out a general ping that helps us find them so we can salvage the transmitters.”

“Good idea Tali,” Jane praised. “Do it.” Tali unbuckled herself and moved past Jane and tapped away at the communications console. The Mako’s sensors pulsed and something responded in the distance. Tali marked it on the map.

“Damn good work, Tali.” John remarked, changing course. They zoomed up a large rocky formation before reaching the transmitter. 

“Tali with me, Garrus work the gun as John keeps an eye out.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

The two women exited the Mako quickly. John watched them carefully, Jane with her sniper rifle unfolded and providing Tai with cover as she hurried over to the transmitter.

“This is going to take a few minutes, Commanders.” Tali explained over the comms. “The transmitter has been disabled.”

“You’ve gotten fifteen minutes Tali,” Jane said. “That’s all we can afford. If you can’t get it running by then we’re going to use John’s plan.”

“Yes ma’am.” It was quiet for about five minutes before the transmitter let off a few sparks and then the Mako’s map over view of the area lit up with three survey stations, the fusion torch locations and the main complex.

“Transmitter is online and we’re patched in, Commanders!” Tali declared happily. John grinned as they began to jog back to the Mako.

“Well done, Tali. There’s a survey post not too far from us. As soon as you two load up we’re heading there then to the closest torch.”

They found the outpost in short order with only the body a G. Mendel who had been badly beaten before being shot in the head. Jane grew quiet at the discovering that. They all were quiet in fact, it was just grim reminder of how savage Batarians could be. On the way to the fusion torch they also found a burned civilian cargo transport with the body of a T. Slajs. Soon after they made their way to the first fusion torch.

The fusion torch was protected by six heavy turrets but they quickly took them out. The only thing of note was that woman tried to contact them as they approached the first fusion torch but she went silent very quickly afterwards. After quickly circling the turrets and taking them out, they headed inside to turn off the torch.

And John was remembered just how much his sister loathed Batarians.

~*~*~

Jane and Garrus flanked the interior door after they made their and John gave them a nod. The door opened to reveal Batarians feeding a human corpse to varren. Jane's eyes narrowed in rage and John quickly moved to the side letting Jane and Garrus kneel in the doorway and make short work of the varren before ducking back behind the door. 

"Shielding," Jane cried as she quickly threw up a barrier and ran for cover inside the large room. John followed and went to the opposite side with the Batarians focusing fire on Jane. 

"Release the varren!" a Batarian cried and Jane quickly used a singularity to trap the two beasts. John and Tali began dealing with the closer threats while Jane and Garrus worked on the Batarians in the back. The battle was over fairly quickly. The group moved through the room and headed for the stairs. The upstairs was clear and the group went off of high alert. 

"Tali," John ordered and Tali quickly moved to shut off the torch. 

"Offline," she said.

"That was a little too easy," Garrus stated.

"If you take out the massive turrets and the need to take out enemies before they alert the others," Jane replied. 

"I'm reading that the torch is offline," the woman's voice whispered over their comms. "Was that you? Can you hear me?" 

"I hear you. What's going on? Who are you?" John asked and Jane pulled her rifle up and stood by the door watching. 

"My name's Kate Bowman. I'm an engineer. I was part of the team assigned to bring this asteroid to Terra Nova," the woman said. "We were attacked yesterday by Batarian extremists. I've been hiding since they arrived. I think they know the torch went out." 

"Do you know why they are doing this?" John asked and Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. Batarians came to human colonies for two reasons, to get slaves or to kill, sometimes they did both.

"I don't know. But if this asteroid isn't slowed, millions of people on Terra Nova are going to die. If I find out anything I'll...I've got to go. Good luck!" Kate whispered before the link terminated. 

"That's not good," Garrus muttered. 

"We need to get moving," Jane stated and the group headed down. Jane entered the atrium and saw a form. "Hey!" The form shot at her but her shields blocked it. 

"Oh, God!" the form cried. "I didn't mean to...are you hurt?" A human stepped out of the shadows, clearly rattled. 

"Takes more than that one shot to bring me down," Jane stated. 

"Sorry, I didn't even realize you were human until...well. Guess I'm not much of a soldier," the man said. 

"I know you're scared. But we're here to help. Commander Shepard, with the Alliance," Jane said as the rest of the team approached. 

"Simon. Simon Atwell. I'm the chief engineer on this rock," the man said. "Listen, we don't have much time. The Batarians fired up the fusion torches. You've got to shut them down before we hit Terra Nova! There are four million people down there, Shepard. I...my family. They live in Aronas. My kids and grandkids. Nice community. Good schools..." 

"Batarians everywhere, and we need to shut down all three torches. Anything else we should know?" John asked. 

"One of the torches is surrounded by live blasting caps. We were set up to excavate when we arrived at Terra Novas. I rigged them with proximity detectors," Simon explained. "That tank of yours will set them off, so you'll have to go in on foot. Even then, they'll explode if you get too close. Just go slow and easy and you should be fine." 

"You set them up. Can you disable them?" Jane asked.

"Not from here, no," Simon said. "There are manual controls by the entrance to the torch facility, inside the blast zone. You can disarm the caps there. One last thing: I had a crew working off-site when the attack hit. I'm worried about them. These Batarians are ruthless. I saw them smash the faceplates of guys working vacuum. And those varren...I don't think they always wait for a corpse before feeding." 

"Those guys, any idea where we could find them?" Jane asked. 

"They were running checks on our perimeter equipment," Simon explained. "Easiest thing would be to tap into the transmission tower out on the surface. The equipment stations will show up on your sensors." 

"We've already found two," Jane stated and Simon gave her a look. "Mendel and Slajs are both dead." Simon looked down. 

"We'll look for the rest," John said. "But the torches are our main focus."

"Yeah...you're right. Saving Terra Nova's more important than my team," Simon wore the face of a man who knew hard decisions. "There were a bunch of engineers over at the main facility, but they're probably all dead. That, or being held hostage by the Batarians. 

"A woman named Kate Bowman contacted us. The Batarians haven't found her yet," Jane said. 

"Katie's alive? She's one of my best engineers. She signed on with her brother. Aaron, I think his name is. He's part of the security detail. I hope they're okay," Simon said. 

"Give me a worst case scenario. We can't stop the asteroid. Could the colony be evacuated?" John asked. 

"Evacu... Shepard, it took 30 years for the population to grow that large," Simon stammered. "I'm sure they're moving people to remote areas, but they'd never be able to get more than a few thousand off-world. We just don't have enough ships. No one does. Well, maybe the Quarians. But I don't see them suddenly showing up and offering us a ride." 

"You'd better find a good place to hide. If the Batarians come back and find you..." John began and Jane looked at the door. 

"Yeah, I think I'll make myself scarce. Good luck, Shepard," Simon said and the group nodded at the man. 

"This is bad," Garrus stated and Jane shook her head.

"We can do it...we have four hours to do this," Jane said. 

"Can we?" Tali asked. 

"And still make it back to the Normandy in time for lunch," John replied and they climbed into the Mako. 

"I have a reading on a site right above the torch...we should check it out," Jane said and John nodded. The ride was unpleasant but they arrived at X57 Radio. 

"It's a radio station," Tali stated and Jane looked at the messages. 

"Let's go, there's a survey sight on that next ridge," Jane said. 

"Jane..." John began. 

"It's worth it if we find one engineer alive," she said. As John bounced the Mako to the next site it was clear no one was alive, but Jane got out and quickly entered the structure. A body in the burned remains of the structure. She found the recording. As she exited, she shook her head and headed in. 

"I have an idea for the next torch," John stated and Jane listened as he drove. 

~*~*~

“You’re insane, Commander.” Tali noted over the comms. John just grinned to himself as he led Tali carefully around the back of the building, paying attention to the sensor readings of his suit and staying away from the charges the best he could.

“They’ll never expect a small team to come up behind them as Jane and Garrus take out the turrets. I’ll cover you as you take the charges off line. Then Jane will drive up once we’re done. Simple.” John assured her. Tali seemed to give him a look and he was willing to bet credits that she was muttering and swearing at him. A missile flew over their heads as Jane drove by in the distance, focusing on the turrets. After ten tense minutes they finally picked their way through the jerry rigged mine field. They crept along the side of the building. When they got to the corner John made a hand signal for Tali to hold position. Then he peaked around the corner.

Four Batarians but two were holding rocket launchers. Fortunately for him, they were closer to the corner than the other two. Making another hand sign for Tali to wait there, he drew his knife. He silently crept up behind the closet one. When he was close enough he lunged forward, grabbing the Batarian from behind around the throat with his left hand and jamming the knife into the Batarian’s back where he approximately remembered the Batarian heart to be. Since the Batarian was caught off guard his shields weren’t up and the specialty yet expensive blade penetrated the armor with all of John’s strength. Still the armor was armor after all and as the systems tried to protect the terrorist the shields flared to life, snapping the blade in half. John cursed as the shield flared drew the other three’s attention. As they moved John tackled the other rocket trooper, sending him to the ground. Before his suit’s own shields flared to life, John smashed the hilt of his broken blade into the Batarian’s face mask, shattering it. John dove away as the other two opened fire, their friend already dead from the sudden atmospheric decompression of his suit. As he skidded on the ground he dropped the handle and snatched a grenade from his belt. He tossed it at the two and it detonated in their faces. It sent them flying into the mine field and even if they had survived the initial explosion, the mine they landed on finished the job.

“You’re clear, Tali.” John said over the comm, getting to his feet. Tali scurried from around the corner and quickly went to work on the demolition charge console. After a few moments the charges were disarmed and Jane and Garrus drove up in the Mako. They were quiet until after they got through the airlock and they were all, expect for Tali, taking off their helmets inside.

“Nicely done, John. “Jane said as they cleared the room. Nothing was inside.

“Thanks Jane. Broke my knife though.” John said, giving a fake pout making the rest of the team chuckle.

“I heard they’re coming up with something called an Omni-blade, Commander.” Garrus said, unslinging his assault rifle. “You should get one of those when you can.”

“That sounds interesting.” John mused. Jane shook her head as they took up positions around the door to the inside. Exchanging a nod with his sister, they opened the door. This room was filled equipment provided excellent cover as they stormed in. With the four of them working together, they quickly disposed of six Batarians and six rocket drones. John was happy to note that Garrus and Tali were quickly falling in sync with them. On the way to Feros he was going to suggest to Jane that they break the ground team into two smaller teams, one led by each of them. If the others were falling in sync with them just as well, two well trained, well balanced fire teams would give them more options.

They found the fusion torch shut off upstairs and just as Tali was finishing shutting it down Kate Bowman came back on over the comms.

“Are you there? You’ve got to hurry. You’ve really pissed them off. Their leader’s setting charges everywhere. I think he’s going to blow this whole facility.”

Jane pressed a hand to her ear piece.

“Kate, we’re trying to reach you. We just shut off the second torch. Try to stay safe and off the comms now. We’re go-”

“Get away from there!”

“Oh fuck no. Please no.” Jane whispered and John frowned. A Batarian had found her. There was the sound of scuffle.

“Don't shoot. Please!” Kate again.

“Who's shutting down the torches?” Another Batarian demanded.

“Tell him Kate, We’ll be fine.” Jane whispered. She was shaking in rage and Garrus shot John a concerned look. John shook his head.

“I won't ask you again.” The second Batarian snarled. After a few moments there was a loud gunshot. “Find this problem and deal with it. Get her out of here!” 

As the comm shut off Jane stormed from the room.

~*~*~

"We could make a U-shape around the main building, hitting the two sites of interest, then hitting the third torch," Jane said as they made their way back to the Mako. John gave her a look. "They're looking for us now. They won't expect us to go the long way." 

John waited until they were back inside the Mako before responding.

"Do we have time for that?" he asked. 

"With you driving, we will," Jane said and the twins nodded. John made the Mako fly and soon enough they were at a relatively empty construction camp. 

"I found something you might like," Garrus called and showed them a note indicating an explosives cache. 

"Explosives are good," John said and Jane nodded. 

"Let's get them before the Batarians have a chance," Jane said. 

"Am I the only one a little worried about riding in the Mako with explosives?" Tali asked.

"I wasn't until you mentioned it," Garrus replied. 

The next survey station was the same as the prior two, just dead bodies. 

"They made sure to kill as many as they could," Jane stated, puzzled.

"I know it doesn’t make damn sense," John agreed. 

"What do you mean?" Tali asked. 

"John and I wrote the Mindoir Review, we know Batarian policy.” Jane began. 

“You wrote the Review,” John said as he tried to find any explosives. No luck. “I just gave a helpful paragraph or two.”

“This is unusual. They normally take as many slaves as they can but this reads like an extermination," Jane stated, ignoring her brother’s quip.

"Extermination?" Garrus asked. 

"That's what's weird. They usually only kill those they can't take as slaves. They've been on the asteroid long enough to have processed every member of the team for slave transport, but they're not, they're killing everyone," John replied. 

"The Hegemony wouldn't condone this..." Jane started. 

"But they sure as hell wouldn't condemn it either," John replied. 

"I don't like this," Jane growled. 

"There's nothing to like," John replied as they approached the third torch. "Look...more turrets." 

"A lot of good they did when the engineers needed them," Jane sighed as John began to blast. 

"What do you think about this?" Garrus asked Jane and her face was hard. 

"Batarians hate humans. This is just another group looking to kill as many of us as possible," Jane said in a cold voice. 

"We'll stop them," John said as he maneuvered the Mako around, slamming the Mako into a hard skid to avoid a rocket barreling right at them. 

"Eeek!" Tali cried as she slid into Garrus. 

"What are our chances?" Garrus asked.

"Of stopping this rock?" Jane asked. "Excellent, we've only been here forty minutes and we're already shutting down the last torch." 

"Of saving the engineers?" Tali asked and Jane got quiet. 

"We've already failed to save five," she answered. "I don't know...but I intend to make sure we save as many as are left breathing." 

"Then let's shut down this last torch and head over to the main facility," John said as he pulled up in front of the torch. 

"Done already?" Tali cried. 

"I know what I'm doing," John replied as they got out of the Mako. 

~*~*~

As they entered the third torch facility John was surprised to find only three Batarians and two varren guarding the torch. They again made short work of them and went upstairs to turn off the fusion torch. John himself couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh of relief as Tali disable the final torch. They headed down stairs and John was almost expecting what he saw. Three Batarians holding guns on them down the end of the room from the stairs. Jane's rifle was in her hands in an instant and she was raising it to her shoulder. 

"Hold it right there. This doesn't have to end in bloodshed," the Batarian in the middle said. Jane kept her eyes on the space between his four eyes. Batarians liked confusing humans with which eye to look at, Jane made up for it by looking at their foreheads right above their nostrils. "Don't come any closer." He put his weapon away and John did the same. Jane almost kicked her brother in the back, but she didn't dare with three Batarians, two of which were still armed. "We can do this the hard way...or we can end this peacefully." 

"I didn't think you Batarians knew the meaning of the word," Jane snapped. John's body went stiff and Jane knew she shouldn't have spoken. 

"Look, I'm just doing my job here. Hijacking this rock wasn't my idea," the Batarian confessed and Jane wondered what his job was. "I signed on to make a little profit. A quick slave grab. Nothing more." Jane's blood boiled, her finger twitched but she didn't squeeze, not with John facing the two guards. 

"This isn't just a slave grab anymore. Millions of people are going to die," John said. 

"Don't you think I know that?" the Batarian snarled. "I'm just following orders here. If it were up to me, we'd have already left." 

"Well, it's not too late. You can still leave," John said and Jane fought to keep from swallowing her tongue. He was going to let them go?!

"I don't think so. Balak would skin me alive and sell my hide out of spite," the Batarian said. "Crazy bastard. This whole mission's gone to hell and I'm gonna pay for it." 

"So why do you listen to him?" John asked and Jane focused on Alliance negotiation technique. She hated dealing with Batarians. Hated them. But she wasn't dealing with them...John was. Her finger twitched on the trigger and Garrus shifted next to her. She had just told Garrus off on revenge, what kind of a hypocrite was she? One that had lost her whole childhood and innocence to her demons. Jane couldn't understand how John was so patient and calm. 

"Good question. I had a bad feeling about this from the moment we landed. Now Balak wants you dead," the Batarian growled. "And what Balak wants, Balak gets. I can't change that." 

"Do you always want to be second in command? Get me out of here and I'll take care of Balak. Then you can start giving the orders," John said and Jane knew he was creating unrest in the band of Batarians, but she was still sick of them. 

"An, uh, interesting proposal. It certainly has benefits over the current situation," the Batarian stated. He hesitated for a moment before nodding and looking at one of the other Batarians "Shut it down. This is Balak's problem now. I hope you're as quick with a gun as you are with your promises. For both our sakes."

"Balak will get what's coming to him. And so will you if I ever catch you in human territory again. Are we clear?" Jane said as she trained her killing eyes on him. The Batarian looked at her for a moment, then at John. There was a bit of recognition there. 

"Perfectly," he said before tossing a security pass at John. "Balak's holed up in the main facility. You'll need this to get in. Don't underestimate him. He's a mean bastard." He looked at his men. "Let's go. We're getting off this rock." Jane watched them go, finger twitching on the trigger. John placed a hand on her shoulder and the group waited a moment before heading back out to the Mako. 

~*~*~

The Main Facility again six turrets but three were mobile on tracks. Jane was oddly quiet as John quickly drove around them, Garrus using the Mako’s turret to quickly take them out. Then as they were making their way inside John noticed Jane was staring at a blood stain by the communications console. That was not a good sign. 

They made their way up the stairs into a courtyard area and a large group of Batarians with several drones began to open fire. They hunkered down behind the walkway guard for a moment.

“John, Garrus and I are going to find a perch, give you guys some cover fire.” Jane said, before darting off. Garrus blinked in surprise as Jane moved. Then he followed her as quickly as he could.

“Tali stay right next to me, okay? I want to do a slow march up the right side. If we draw them to us, Jane and Garrus will get some clear shots.” John ordered. Tali nodded and brought her shotgun up to blast a drone that tried to get above them.

“You got it Shepard.” She replied. John shot her a grin and they stayed low. Popping up to blast down any drone that got close. When a few Batarians rushed them Jane or Garrus would take a few down as John and Tali shot the rest. They had slowly made their way along the edge before it got eerily quiet. One last Batarian tried to rush them, screaming for them to die but Tali blasted him in the face with her shot gun. John was about to call Jane and Garrus down to help them find where the hostages were when he heard a deep growl of a varren. He looked to the back of the room and he saw a Batarian descending the stairs with two varren and another Batarian by his side.

“You humans. You're almost more trouble than you're worth.” The Batarian snarled.

“You must be Balak.” John noted. He kept his gun at the ready but not point at him. He saw Garrus making his way from his left with his Assault rifle at the ready. Tali was covering John on the right. He smirked to himself as he thought about Jane taking aim at Balak’s head. He held up his left hand in the Alliance signal for ‘hold for orders’. Then he turned focused back on Balak. “Let the hostages go and maybe you'll live long enough to explain yourself to the Council.”

“I don't answer to the Council! Or to you. I'm leaving this asteroid. If you try to stop me, I'll detonate these charges and your helper and her friends are all going to die.” Balak snarled. John glared. 

“I can't just let you go, Balak. Not after what happened here.” John snarled.

“This is nothing. You humans have done far worse to the Batarians. We've been forced into exile. Forced to survive on what we can scrounge up. It’s been like that for decades.” Balak snapped.

“Why take it out on these people? They didn't do anything to you or the Batarians.” John questioned.

Didn't do anything? Aside from colonizing a world that could have been ours? Aside from using resources that should have been ours? We were left to defend ourselves. But the humans were stronger than us. We knew that. The Council knew that. But it didn't matter. It was you. You and your kind are the only reason we're in this position.” Balak retorted.

“How does killing innocent people make up for that?”

“We had no other options. Sometimes you need to get someone's attention before they'll listen.”

“Is that what Elysium was?” John demanded, fed up with Balak’s apparent high and mighty routine. “A way to get our attention? Well, you got it. And when we responded you ran like cowards. Now you want to start it all over again.”

“Enough! You couldn't possibly understand...Actually, you just don't want to understand. And I'm done wasting my breath. Now, if you want your friends to live, I suggest you step aside.” Balak ordered. John ground his teeth,

“You can go. But this isn't over. I'll find you eventually.” John snapped, but he did step aside. No matter what happened he would never sacrifice innocent people just to get someone.

“Maybe. But I made sure you won't follow me today. Those charges are still on a timer. Better hurry if you want to save your friends.” Balak snarked before hurrying off. John swore under his breath and then swore again as two more drones flew in behind the retreating Batarians.

“Garrus cover Tali while she disarms those bombs! I’ve got these things.” John ordered. As the two scurried off and John opened fire on the drones he had to wonder where the hell his sister was.

~*~*~

Jane watched over John as he looked up at the Batarian on the top of the stairs. Balak. Jane's eyes looked at Balak, memorizing his markings. He would not get away if she had anything to do with it. 

Jane had her scope centered on Balak's skull. Right between all four of his eyes. He was so focused on John, he and his troops hadn't noticed that she wasn't with them. The cross hairs were steady, John only had to give the signal and Balak would be a splatter on the back wall. She could probably get the two guards flanking him too. 

John was making the stand down signal and Jane was furious. Was he crazy? She could take Balak! John had no faith that she knew when to fire or stand down. Anger burned in Jane. 

Jane's eyes bulged as she realized Balak was going to get away with it! That vile, racist was so diluted by his victim complex that he couldn't see what the Batarians really were. Bottom feeders, low-lives. Jane could remember the stench of her father's body as it burned, the smell of her mother's blood. Killing cold seeped into her body as she prepared to fire on Balak. The murderous son of a bitch wasn't leaving this damn rock. John knew she was on Balak, but he didn't know where she was. John wouldn't stop her from putting this mad dog down. As she was about to fire Garrus moved. 

Garrus had faced Dr. Saleon and had listened to her. Jane felt sick as she realized the truth. Leaders had to lead by example. Bile burned the back of her throat as she pulled her rifle off of Balak and she glared at the Batarians. As she watched them run off she headed after them…

~*~*~

The blast hit the doorway in front of Balak's face and he paused as he was about to exit. Jane stood there and looked at him, the tip of her rifle smoking.

"I will find you...and I will kill you," Jane stated before she turned on her comm. Hopefully she could warn Balak's deserters. "Balak is leaving the main facility at this time. Just thought you would like a heads up." She turned and saw a drone, she quickly brought it down before taking on its twin, when she looked back at the doorway, Balak and his group were gone. 

"Jane we got the devices," John said over the comms. Simon appeared in the doorway and looked at her. 

"He left? Is that...is that all right?" he asked Jane and she looked at the older engineer. 

"Letting him go was better than the alternative," she said, her hands tightening on her rifle. "I thought you were going to stay someplace safe?" 

"I...there might have been something I could have done to help. I thought I should be here. I know this asteroid better than anyone," Simon said. "You did it. Another hour and our course would have been irreversible. I ran the numbers, Shepard. X57 would have struck near the capital city. The most densely populated region. But that's not going to happen, thanks to all of you." The two of them moved to meet up with John and the others outside of a door. 

"Is Katie in here? Is she all right? Is her team?" Simon asked. 

"Balak was holding them hostage. I let him go to save them," John said. 

"Let a terrorist go, or sacrifice innocent lives. I...I'm glad that not a choice I had to make," Simon confessed. "Is that...will you get in trouble for that? I mean, he could do the same thing somewhere else. Couldn't he?" 

"Yeah, he could. Balak seemed like a practical man," John said and Jane stood next to him. 

"Practical, but callous. If he'd been in your place, John, Ms. Bowman would be dead now, along with all the terrorists," Jane said. "But I'm not going to sacrifice people who happened to be between me and my target." She looked at Garrus. The Turian’s blue eyes shone with admiration. 

"So what happens now? The bad guys get away?" Simon asked. 

"Balak gets away today," Jane said. 

"But we'll be after him tomorrow, and the day after that. Me, my crew, and every other crew in the Alliance," John said, his hand on Jane's shoulder. He did his best not to look shocked at the clenched muscles in his twin's body. "He'll run, and he'll hide. But eventually he'll slip up, and we'll get him. Bad guys never get away, Simon." 

"Not unless the good guys give up," Jane added, making sure Simon knew that she didn't intend to do that. 

"Well, I wouldn't want you after me," Simon said, giving Jane a nod. "Thank you. For my grandchildren's lives. I don't think I'll stick around, though. Not with the team gone. Too many ghosts. It's time for me to get back and spend some time with my family. But before I go...I'd like to offer you something...maybe you'll have more use for it than I will. As lead engineer, I get some quality items. Take your pick: you've earned it. I hope you get good use out of it." He pointed to some crates in the corner. 

"Simon...we found the rest of your team...their bodies, anyway," Jane said and Simon looked down. 

"Oh...I...I see. Well, then. I guess it's better than not knowing," Simon muttered. 

"Take care of yourself," Jane said. 

"Be well. We owe you," Simon responded as Tali finished hacking the door. The engineers quickly rushed out. A woman approached John. 

~*~*~

“I can't believe you let Balak go...to save us. I half expected you to just let us die. Sacrifice the few for the many.” Kate wondered.

“Then I'd be no better than the Batarians. Beside, Balak won't get away with this. I know who he is now. He can't run forever.” John noted. Jane scowled.

“Huh. You sound like my brother. He was always so stubborn. But always willing to do the right thing...no matter what.” Kate said and Jane winced

“I wish we could've save him, too.” Jane said. Kate sighed.

“It's not your fault. You did what you could. At least Aaron died in a place he loved. He was the one who convinced me to join the team here. Said it would be an adventure. I...I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I should see to Aaron.” Kate said and took in a deep, shuddering breath.

“I understand. You've been through enough today. We'll get out of your way.” John said. He motioned to the others and they began to leave.

“Thank you...huh, I don't even know your name.” Kate mused. John smiled.

“I’m Commander John Shepard, that’s my sister Commander Jane Shepard, the Turian is Garrus Vakarian and the Quarian is Tali’Zorah.” John introduced them.

“Thank you. You're not exactly what I expected, but thank you.” John smiled and waved and Jane hesitated for a moment before she left.

“That was a brave thing you did, Kate.” Jane praised her. “Contacting us on the radio, risking your life.”

"Stubborn and determined runs in the family. My father was in the Alliance, back on Earth. I think he was disappointed none of his kids signed up, but he’d be proud of Aaron. Sorry...I'm just...” Kate trailed off.

“You've been through a lot. I'll get out of your way. So long, Kate.”

“I appreciate that, Commander. Goodbye.”

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 2nd, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Transit to the Citadel

John was starting his usual PT round as Jane entered the hold. He paused to look at her and she crossed her arms. 

“I know what you want to talk about Jane," John sighed. "But I don't feel like talking." 

"No John, we need to talk," Jane stated as she took a fighting stance. 

"Jane..." John said in a warning tone. Jane's biotics flared and John rushed her, getting in quick. He went for a shoulder jab only to end up with his arm caught between hers. 

"We are talking about this now. We haven't had to be in the same unit since N-7 training and we are barely cohesive," Jane said before kicking John backwards, biotics swirling around her in preparation of attack.

John stepped back to let Jane's kick pass by him. As Jane lashed a hand out to catch him in a Stasis field John side stepped her hand. He grabbed her free arm to wrench it behind her back as he pinned her extended arm by her side. Jane bit back a gasp.

"We may not have been the finely tuned team we were then but we're both much better than we were." John snapped in her ear. Jane reared her head back and John was forced to let go or have his nose broken.

"That's my point," Jane stated as she ducked down to try a leg sweep. "Both of us have lost men, John, and both of us have developed as Commanders without the other." 

John ground his teeth as he hopped back even farther and avoided the leg sweep. As Jane moved with the momentum from her leg sweep he lunged at her.

"I doubt a little sparring will help us move back into sync." John snapped as he moved.

Jane dropped onto her back and used her feet to throw John over her before she rolled onto her feet, biotics swirling around her.

"Can't it?" Jane asked as she threw a Lift at him. 

As John landed on his back on the mats he saw Jane throw the Lift at him. He rolled to the left and let the Lift hit the mat throwing it up into the air. He saw Jane blink in surprise so he kip-upped and spun back around.

"Nicely done but I thought of how to get out of that trick of yours since our last spar, little sister." John taunted. His grin got wider, remembering what an old movie buff Jane was. He went into his ready stance but extended his right arm out, hand up. He made a come here gesture with his fingers at her.

"I was wondering when you would catch on," she replied before she rushed him lifting a glowing fist in a mock punch, but instead of hitting him with her fist, she shoved a Throw down in front of John, launching herself into the air. Jane quickly hooked a leg around John's chest, hurling her weight over his body, flipping him over her as she quickly rolled into a crouching position. "You're not the only one with new tricks, big brother." 

John curled around himself and when he hit the ground he used his momentum to end back up on his feet, if a little wobbly. 

"Not too bad, Jane but I have fought biotics before." John said. He lunged at Jane but checked the move at the last minute. As he thought Jane moved to grab him but got nothing but air as he came up short. Jane's eyes got wide as he jabbed at her stomach with a fist.

Jane gasped as she fell onto her brother's shoulder, using him for support. He paused for a second, long enough for Jane to plant a foot between his legs. She shoved the palm of one hand up into John's chin, pushing his head back and used her other leg to pull out John's leg, causing them both to fall, Jane on top of John. Jane used her momentum to roll, shoving a fist into his side and rolling away to catch her breath. 

"Yeah, and I've been practicing my hand to hand just for those who are familiar with typical biotic fighters. Funny how we are both capable against each other...huh?" Jane ran a hand over her sore stomach, there was going to be a bruise from that. 

John slowly got to his feet, not willing to favor himself despite the ache he felt. Jane had gotten a lot better, he admitted to himself but she wasn't trained to brawl like he was. True her hits hurt but they weren't debilitating. 

"It's a bit funny." John said, rolling his shoulders. He watched Jane and sighed. "I'm sorry. You were right about Tali."

"I never cared about being right, John. I want Saren," Jane stated as she got back into the fighting stance. "I had him in the scope, John, I could have taken him out, but I didn't. I need to get him." Jane flashed blue before whipping a mat from the floor right into John. 

John rolled his eyes as he neatly side stepped the thrown mat. He took two quick steps at Jane before jabbing at her with a basic left cross. Jane blocked and countered. John struck at her again and countered. Soon it degenerated into nothing but strikes and counters. They exchanged blows like this for a few minutes, getting faster and faster.

"I want him just as badly Jane. You couldn't have known. It's not in your nature to just shoot people without a reason. Before he killed Nihlus and was protected by the Geth did you have any reason to shoot him?"

Jane was standing her own in the boxing match, she couldn't beat John in strength, but she wasn't the farm girl she was as a child and she had done a hell of a lot of growing since the N-7 training. She could keep him at bay, but it would be an inevitable stalemate. 

"I felt it John. Like that day on Mindoir, like on Akuze, I felt it John and I didn't listen. Just one shot and he would have been a corpse," Jane growled, biotic blue flashed in her eyes and trickled over her skin, but not offensive, just reactionary. "I felt it and I didn't listen. I want him, John, I want to kill him myself!" The look in Jane's eyes was cold and dead.

John frowned as he saw Jane's face. Jane always had doubt. In his eyes that was why she studied so hard when they were younger, why she trained so hard, why she was a sniper. She was trying to distance herself from making a mistake and be eaten up with guilt. Akuze came close to breaking her and she was dwelling too much on Saren's actions. John felt it click in his mind and he sighed. He caught one of her fists with his hand. Jane snarled and swung the other and he caught that as well. She thought everything Saren was doing was her fault because she didn't kill him when she didn't know any better.

"Jane, calm down for a minute." John snapped and Jane growled. He sighed and then slammed his head forward catching her in the nose.

Jane threw up a shield, throwing John away from her. She quickly caught her nose and swore. 

"Damn it, John, stupid move. Who taught you counseling? A Krogan?" Jane muttered as she felt her nose. "Never confine a person...damn it. What do you want to say?" She looked at him, her shield still glowing around her. 

"You weren't going to listen while you kept throwing punches." John countered, giving his head a shake. "Saren's not your fault. He found Sovereign long before he walked into your scope. He's had these plans well into motion before Eden Prime. The people he kills are not your fault!"

Jane stared at her bother for a moment.

"You can tell me that every day, John...I know that in my head. But every time I look at Liara...I know she lost her mother because I didn't shoot that son of a bitch when I had the chance. I know it's not my fault, but I know my hesitation has and will cost many people..." Jane said as she looked at John. She stood tall and her biotics flashed out. "Do you trust me to lead when you are off command?"

John returned her look with one of his own.

"Is this about me taking the lead on your shift? Jane I'm not used to sharing command, that's my fault and I promise I'll do my best to not do it again. And you're changing the subject!" 

"I'm not changing the subject, I know my weaknesses John. I don't get close to people. Hell, Tali thought I disliked her, but you know me and I know me. I don't get close, Akuze did more than leave me with a physical scar," Jane said as she ran a thumb over her scarred cheek. "I know my obsessive behaviors when I do make mistakes. Why do you think I work so hard on my biotic abilities? Anytime I learn about a new Asari trick I take hours to try and practice it. Because if my biotics had been a bit stronger...Akuze could have had a much lower body count." Jane looked at John. "Your turn." 

John stared at her for a minute before the turn sentence sank into his brain. He sighed and headed for the table where Ash would normally be working. He was thankful he had decided to do some PT after his shift when everyone was sleeping. He snatched up his towel and began rubbing his head dry.

"Yes, Jane I trust you. I always trust you but I want to know my team is safe. I try too hard sometimes and to be honest I care more about my crew than the mission some times."

"I suppose that is a massive difference between us then," Jane stated as she began to stretch. "Once engaged, the mission has priority. I will do my best to make sure that my soldiers are prepared to handle any mission I put them on but I expect them to be able to stand on their own if I bring them on the mission. You didn't fail Tali, she just got unlucky. It could have happened to either of us. Sometimes it is just bad luck, but I will put money down, Tali will make sure any downed drones are completely non-functional the next time she is in a fight with them. I think we all will." Jane gave John a look as she grabbed a towel from Wrex's usual haunt where she had tossed it. She slipped it under her hair patting her face. 

"You didn't kill Balak," John commented and Jane froze.

"I wanted to...badly...but Garrus...I told him to let go of that rage. What kind of a hypocrite would I be if I killed Balak when the mission was to save the people?" Jane said keeping her back to John.

"When we're done with Saren..." John started. 

"No...I'll do my assigned missions just like you but if we happen to find Balak on the way..." Jane said and John nodded.

"Count me in," he said.

"I already was," Jane got onto the elevator and headed up to bed. John rubbed his side absently. She really had gotten better at hand to hand. 

~*~*~


	8. Mind Games

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepards stop at the Citadel to report on the mission failure with Balak before heading to Ferros. On the way Jane must face what could be a dangerous side effect of one of her decisions. 
> 
> Ferros shows that two Shepards can handle anything, even vile plant people, meanwhile one Shepard is shared between two lovely Asari.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.

Earth Date: July 7th, 2183 CE  
Location: Citadel

"That's a hell of a situation, Shepards, but as far as I'm concerned you made the right choice," Anderson said at the small meeting. The Shepard twins sat on one side of the table in Udina's office, Udina at the head of the table with Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett on the opposite side of the table. The three men were looking over the Shepards' reports. 

"These are security images?" Hackett asked as he stared at the holos of Balak and Jane nodded. 

"I made sure we got copies of all security footage before we left," Jane said and Hackett nodded at her. 

"Good work, Shepard," he said. "I'll make sure these pass through the fleets, every Alliance soldier is going to know Balak's face before the end of the week. He got away today, but we'll be watching out for him from now on." 

"The Council does nothing about the Batarians and their attacks," Udina spat and Jane could see a little of her own hatred in Udina. It made her feel dirty and she focused on the Captain and Admiral. 

"I doubt he would be stupid enough to attack anytime soon," Anderson stated. 

"He's smarter than I like," John commented. 

"Smart terrorists are always bad, but he's dealing with more than us knowing his name and face," Jane said and Hackett turned to her. 

"We managed to convince some of his men to leave. They were slavers only, the idea of being involved with a terrorist attack was too much. They left him and took off. He might be dealing with their bad press. Batarians spread reputations quickly. Best to know if you are going in with an experienced and successful slaver or a loud mouth who might get you killed. Balak could get unofficial credit for his efforts to pull off a terrorist attack with the Hegemony, but he'll lose reputation with the slavers who wanted a simple run and ended up not only not getting any slaves but losing crew members," Jane said and Hackett nodded. 

"He'll have trouble getting allies from the slaver community then," he said. "I'll pass this along." The meeting ended and the Shepards left Udina's office with Admiral Hackett. 

"It was good seeing you again, Admiral," Jane said holding out a hand and Hackett shook it. 

"When you're finished with this Saren business, I could use a good CO on Arcturus," Hackett said and Jane smiled. 

"That sounds like a job offer," John teased and Hackett nodded. 

"I've known your sister since the Blitz. She's a good soldier, I could use a woman like her leading my ground teams," Hackett said and Jane smiled. 

"We'll see what happens after Saren, Admiral, but I wouldn't say no if it works out okay with my Spectre duties," she said and Hackett nodded before heading off. 

"Now that we've reported about Balak and his men, what do we need to do?" Garrus asked. 

"We have a few things we need to get for the Normandy as well as our own personal needs," Jane said checking her Omni tool. "We should split up." 

"Two teams," John joked and Jane smirked. 

"I'll stick with you, Commander," Ash said to Jane and Kaidan nodded as he moved towards her. 

"I'll go with you," Liara stated as she moved towards John with Tali quickly following. 

"I think I'll stick with the other snipers," Garrus added and Wrex chuckled. 

"I haven't gotten you into trouble yet," Wrex said as he gave John a smirk. His eyes moving to the two women who seemed very conscious of the male Shepard's location. 

"I'll head over to the financial district, they have a nice selection there," Jane said and John nodded. 

"I'll head to the markets and see about getting the rations," John replied.

"Remind him to get a selection, Tali, they got all the same thing last time," Garrus commented and Tali giggled. 

"Hey, I thought I pressed the randomize button," John joked as the groups separated. 

~*~*~

John and the others were heading to catch a sky car when a voice called out to John that made him stop.

“Excuse me, Commander Shepard? Could you spare a moment of your time?” John sighed but turned around, ignoring the annoyed grunt Wrex made. A human was approaching John, with greying hair and brown skin. “My name is Samesh Bhatia. Forgive the intrusion, but I have nowhere else to turn.”

“How can I help you sir?” John inquired. The man’s respectful but pleading tone caught his attention when he would normally blow off a civilian. Most of them wanted him to solve problems better left to security anyways. 

“My wife was a marine. She was in the 212 on Eden Prime. I've requested that my wife's body be returned to me for cremation, but the military has refused my request.” Samesh explained and John frowned. That didn’t sound right.

“Why did they refuse your request? There's got to be some reason.” John asked. Samesh frowned.

“I don't know. All I know is that they have declared it impossible for my wife to be returned to me. The man in charge of my case is Mr. Bosker. When I last saw him, he was in the expensive bar over there.” Samesh explained gesturing behind them up the stairs to bar located near the embassy. 

“There's no reason for your wife's body to be held like this. Just wait here.” John said and gestured for the others to wait for him too. Wrex growled, annoyed by what he probably saw as a waste of time. Tali nodded while Liara gave him a serene smile. 

“Thank you for your time. I just want to give my wife a proper funeral and the respect she deserves.” Samesh called after him as John made his way up the stairs. He found the man he was looking for leaning against the wall obviously waiting for a drink to be brought to him. John frowned. The man was obviously a civilian, so what was he doing interfering with the release of a soldier’s body? 

“Excuse me, I’d like a word.” John said, stepping up to the man. He glanced at John, blinked and pushed away from the wall.

“My goodness, you're Commander Shepard! Your activities made for quite a briefing in the Diplomatic Corps! Is there something I can do to assist you?” the excited man said and John had hope this might make it easy to get the body released.

“I'm here on behalf of Samesh Bhatia for his wife, Nirali.” John explained. Bosker seemed to deflate a bit before sighing.

“Serviceman Nirali Bhatia died on Eden Prime, as Mr. Bhatia no doubt told you. Her wounds are inconsistent with any type of weapon damage we've seen before. That is why her body is being held.” 

“So you're studying her injuries to learn more about Geth weaponry.” John reasoned. He understood why they were holding her body but that was weeks ago.

“The tests we are conducting may lead to better defenses against Geth attacks. Respectfully, Serviceman Bhatia may save more lives in death than she did in life.” Bosker explained, laying it out why they were keeping the body. John didn’t approve at all. He could only think how he would feel if someone didn’t release Jane’s body back to him.

“I understand what you're trying to do, but holding the body is wrong.” John replied and he was pleased to see Bosker flinch at that.

“Commander, you of all people should understand how far we must go to protect humanity!” Bosker tried to reason, not giving in. That just made John’s blood boil.

“Not if we lose our humanity in the process!” John snapped. “I'm out there fighting to stop crap like this!”

“A-All right, Commander. You win.” Bosker conceded and swallowed a lump in his throat. “It was hard enough refusing Mr. Bhatia. I'm not going to risk an incident by refusing you. Tell Samesh that the body is being shipped back to Earth. I'll go now to see to it myself.” John grunt in satisfaction watching the man hurry away in obvious defeat. Now he would go back and tell Mr. Samesh the good news and finally get his own errands done.

~*~*~

Jane and her group were walking along the Presidium when Jane noticed an exasperated Turian speaking to a Hanar. 

"That's Lorquin, I can't believe he's having trouble with a Hanar," Garrus chuckled and Jane headed over. 

"That Hanar refused to listen to reason! Why can't it act in an orderly and lawful manner?" Lorquin groaned as Jane approached. 

"Are there laws being broken?" Jane asked and Lorquin sighed.

"I'm not unreasonable. The Hanar is free to spew its nonsense once it purchases an evangelical permit," he said and Jane looked at the Hanar. She honestly hadn't met one before, but she had watched plenty of Asari movies which depicted the Hanar as a little fanatical. 

"If you'd like, I could talk to the Hanar for you," she offered and he blinked before shaking his head.

"I have argued with the stubborn jelly all afternoon. You are certainly welcome to try," he said and Jane approached the Hanar. It was amazing it could stand on its spindly legs. 

"Do you desire to learn of the Enkindlers? Or has the honorable C-Sec officer enlisted assistance?" the Hanar asked in its melodious voice. Jane fought a smile, sometimes her life was amazing. She was talking to a sentient jellyfish. 

"Is this really how you want to represent the Enkindlers?" Jane asked and the Hanar glowed. 

"The truth of the Enkindlers must be made known. They gave the Hanar language and gave the universe the mass relays," it said. "This one only wishes to spread the truth to any who will listen. There is no intent to cause trouble." 

"Is this how the Enkindlers would want you to use this gift of consciousness?" Jane asked.

"The Enkindlers would wish for their message to be spread to all sentient races!" the Hanar quickly stated. 

"I doubt the Enkindlers would wish for their message to be spread by breaking society's laws," Jane pointed out and the Hanar flashed a bit before speaking.

"This one hears wisdom. Perhaps enthusiasm has clouded judgment in this matter. This one departs now, and will not intrude upon the Presidium again," the Hanar said before walking away. Jane watched it go before smirking.

"How do they do that?" Ash muttered. 

"It's kind of hypnotic," Kaidan added. 

"Yeah, makes you want to push their body just enough to watch them tip over," Garrus said and Jane laughed. 

"That's not nice, C-Sec officer," she scolded as she walked over to Lorquin. 

"I see the Hanar has left. Thank you," he said.

"I'm happy to help," Jane replied. 

"Here. For your assistance in this matter," Lorquin stated offering payment. "Now, if you will excuse me, I should report to my superiors." The group watched him go. 

"Let's upgrade our weaponry shall we?" Jane proposed and the group headed to the Emporium for some expensive upgrades. 

~*~*~

“Why are we stopping here, Shepard?” Wrex asked, annoyed. John shot the Krogan a grin.

“I just wanted to see if I could get a replacement for my assault rifle. The aim has been a bit off and maintenance can only take things so far. Besides I heard through the grapevine that not only can Spectres get access to the special stocks I can buy and give you guys the weapons. Might upgrade a few things while we’re here.” John replied. Tali seemed to dance with glee while Liara just smiled. Wrex let out what sounded like a pleased rumble, despite what his sister said, Krogans did not purr. Even thinking that felt just plain wrong! The requisition office was empty but as they looked around the C-Sec offices to find the requisition officer they were stopped yet again, this time by a Volus.

“Hey there...oh. You're not C-Sec, are you?” the Volus exclaimed. Wrex huffed as John rolled his eyes.

“Obviously. Why are you so desperate to find an officer?” John asked, his curiously getting the better of him.

“I’m just trying to get someone to believe me that my colleague wants me dead!” the Volus explained. John blinked at that.

“Who are you and how do you know he wants you dead?”

“My name is Jahleed and his name is Chorban. He's changed. He won't talk to me at work anymore, and...he started following me. Yesterday, he followed me all the way home. Just waiting for a chance. I don't care what anyone thinks; he wants me gone. I know it.” Jahleed explained. Tali seemed to start at that.

“Is there something I can do? Talk to your friend, maybe?” John asked. 

“Would you? That's all I want, someone to talk to him. Tell him to leave me alone. He thinks he can just push me around, but you'll show him, won't you?” Jahleed asked and John sighed as Wrex laughed.

“Just tell me where he is and I'll go find him.”

“Oh, right. Well, he wanted to meet with me down in the wards, near the markets. He said he just wanted to talk, but I know better. He's a Salarian. You shouldn't have any trouble. He's just a scientist.”

“Shepard, I think your sister scanned the keepers for him.” Tali explained, drawing his attention to her.

“The keepers? Well...even more reason to go after him. That's against regulations.” Jahleed chimed in. John grunted. What the hell was going on here?

“I'll look into this right after we finish up here and I check in with my sister. We’ll find out what he's up to.” John explained and the Volus sighed in relief.

“Anything's possible with Chorban these days. Well, good luck.” Jahleed said before wandering over to a couch to obviously wait in the safety of the C-Sec offices. John turned around and headed straight for the lift that would take them to the markets. He ignored that news reports on the ridiculously long elevator ride, noting the banter the others were exchanging to keep themselves entertained. Apparently Wrex thought Tali should experience some Krogan relations before she went back to the fleet. John rolled his eyes as Wrex’s innuendo seemed to keep flying over both ladies' heads. Wrex kept at it until they found Chorban on the lower section of the market not too far from Morlan’s shop. 

“Do I know you...wait, you were with Commander Shepard...you're the other Commander Shepard. Is there something you want?” Chorban asked, curiosity plain in his voice.

“You can start by telling us the truth, Chorban. What did you trick my sister into doing for you?” John demanded.

“I'm not sure what you're referring to,” Chorban quickly replied. “My experiments are...”

“Your lies are catching up to you.” Tali cut in. “We spoke with your friend, Jahleed.”

“You...spoke with Jahleed?” Chorban bit out, flustered. “Then you know about the data?”

“No. But you're going to tell me.” John snapped, narrowing his eyes at him. “Everything. Right now.” Chorban looked over his shoulder to the other two Salarians.

“You boys can go.” He ordered and the bodyguards left without a word. Chorban looked back to John and sighed. “Looks like my plans have changed. It's not as bad as you think, Commander. Jahleed and I just got a little...over our heads.”

“Keep talking.” Wrex growled.

“The company we work for developed an experimental procedure for use in medical scanners. Jahleed and I saw even more potential. So we stole the plans and secretly developed a tool to scan the keepers.” Chorban explained. “Can you imagine? A tool that can actually get readings from the keepers? The keepers are almost impossible to scan, and you can't capture them or get samples. They just self-destruct. After centuries here, we still don't know anything about them. Don't you see? We were the first to scan them. Ever! Your sister has seen it herself, Commander. She knows we can do it.”

“So why are you trying to kill Jahleed?” John demanded.

“I'm not trying to kill him!” Chorban cried. “It was Jahleed's job was to disseminate our initial findings. But...he decided to keep the data for himself. Maybe to sell it. I don't know.”

“So you're just trying to get back what Jahleed already stole.” Liara reasoned and Chorban nodded.

“We lost our heads. We just couldn't let an opportunity like this pass us by. With all the data your sister collected for us...imagine what we might learn. She's due to make a bit of a profit herself.” Chorban tried but shrank in on himself as John glared at him. He stared at the Salarian for a few minutes before sighing.

“I suppose a little scanning here and there won't hurt anyone.” John allowed and Chorban sighed in relief.

“Very good. Uh…maybe if you wouldn't mind speaking with Jahleed. The data is useless if Jahleed won't help me analyze it.” Chorban explained and John rolled his eyes. 

“Fine. I'll go have a chat with him right now.” John said moving away.

“What fun it is to walk with you everywhere Shepard.” Wrex grumped.

“Oh shut up Wrex. Let’s go deal with Jahleed and stop wasting our time on this lovers' spat between business partners.”

~*~*~

"Thanks, I always like to check in on Dr. Michel," Garrus stated as the group headed to the clinic. 

"So, you got a crush on her," Ash teased and Garrus flared his mandibles.

"She's one of the few humans I've met willing to treat anyone. Can't say the same about all humans," he shot back.

"Now, now, children, play nice," Jane stated as she opened the door to the clinic. 

"I need those supplies for my clinic. I can't!" Dr. Michel cried.

"You can and you will. Or your story won't stay secret for long," a, most likely Krogan, voice over a communicator snapped. "Don't disappoint me, Doctor." She looked disheartened before turning to see the group. 

"Oh, Commander Shepard. I didn't see you come in," she said and Jane approached. 

"Every time I come in here, I see someone threatening you. Who was that?" Jane asked and Dr. Michel kept her head up.

"Someone from my past. I can take care of it," she said with dignity. 

"Please, just tell me what's going on," Jane said. 

"I was fired by my previous employer for giving out free medical supplies to clinics like this. They never filed any charges. They just wanted me to leave without any fuss. But somebody must have found out. Now they're blackmailing me. I have to give them what they want. If the board finds out about my past, I could lose my license. They'll shut my clinic down," Dr. Michel sighed. 

"Maybe I can get you out of this. Tell me what they want," Jane replied and Garrus nodded at Dr. Michel.

"I have to give some of my medical supplies to a merchant in the markets. They expect delivery today," she explained. 

"Give me your contact's name. I'll deal with this guy, whoever he is," Jane said and Dr. Michel looked concerned.

"Deal with him? But, won't they expose my past?" she asked.

"I'll make sure they don't tell anyone," Jane replied with a reassuring smile. 

"I was told to speak with a merchant named Morlan down in the markets. I really appreciate this, Commander, thank you," Dr. Michel sighed. 

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this," Jane said.

"Good luck, Commander, be careful down there," Dr. Michel said as the group left. They headed towards the markets. 

"I don't like people pressing on people like Dr. Michel," Garrus stated.

"No one does," Ash replied. 

"What's the plan, Commander?" Kaidan asked and Jane smiled. 

"We're going to stop them," Jane said. 

"And how are we going to do that?" Kaidan asked and Jane paused.

"We'll try reason and if reason doesn't work...well, we'll use alternatives to reason," she stated as they headed down to the lower markets and approached Morlan's kiosk. 

"Hello there, welcome to Morlan's famous shop. You want many good supplies, yes?" the Salarian behind the counter greeted. Jane looked at him carefully before looking around.

"You were expecting a delivery of medical supplies," Jane said and he looked concerned.

"But I was told that the doctor would be bringing them," he said. 

"Things have changed," Garrus stated. 

"Change? But the doctor...I don't...this is not right, human," Morlan was clearly not one of the sharper Salarians. Jane wondered if the slight burning smell was the lights or Morlan's brain. 

"Shut up, Morlan!" a Krogan snarled as he approached. "I told Banes you'd screw this up. What the hell's going on here? Who are you?" 

"Leave the Doctor alone," Jane stated as she looked the Krogan in his yellow-green eyes. 

"We can end this if you just bring me those supplies," he replied. "Otherwise I'll start telling people about the Doctor's little secret." 

"You're shutting down a medical clinic. What if someone needs treatment? What if you need treatment?" Jane asked, her body looked relaxed but she put her sniper glare on assessing the fastest way to kill the Krogan in her eyes. One shot in each eye and then through his neck and two in his chest. 

"Hey, hold on! I'm just the middleman here. This is way more than I bargained for," the Krogan snapped before turning around and walking away. Jane felt unbalanced as she stared at his back. This...was not what she expected from a Krogan. 

"Thank you, Human. It is good to see him humbled so," Morlan cried as he popped up from behind his counter. Apparently, Jane wasn't the only one expecting fireworks. 

"What do you know about Banes?" Jane asked and Morlan shrugged.

"I have never met him, Human, I only worked with the one who spoke to the Doctor," Morlan explained. 

"Goodbye," Jane stated before heading back. 

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Garrus stated. 

"I'll admit I was expecting more of a reaction than that," Kaidan confessed and Jane nodded. 

"Maybe Dr. Michel will know more about this," Jane stated as they headed back to the clinic, Jane missed the blond man waving at her as she passed. They entered the clinic. 

"Commander, how did things go?" Dr. Michel asked. 

"He won't be bothering you anymore," Jane said. 

"Really? That's a great relief, Commander. Thank you," Dr. Michel sighed. "I can't pay you for your help, but I can give you a discount on any supplies you purchase here." Jane nodded at that.

"The thug said he worked for a man named Banes," Jane informed Dr. Michel. "Sound familiar?" 

"Banes...I wonder if he means Armistan Banes. We worked together a long time ago," Dr. Michel thought out loud. 

"What can you tell me about him?" Jane asked. 

"Last I heard the Alliance military was contracting him for some research in the Traverse," Dr. Michel muttered.

"I wonder if the Captain knows him," Ash said. 

"We'll see what the Captain can tell us," Jane said. 

"I wish I could tell you more," Dr. Michel said. 

"We should stop by and see Captain Anderson," Kaidan stated and the group headed back to the embassy. 

~*~*~

“Commander Shepard? Excuse me, Commander Shepard! I'm Emily Wong. I'm an investigative journalist working here on the Citadel. Could I have a moment of your time?”

John groaned. On the way back to the markets to meet Jane and someone else was stopping them. John stopped and turned to the Asian reporter who had called out to him. “What do you need?”

“I've been hunting for evidence of corruption and organized crime on the Citadel, but there are places I can't go. I was hoping you might share anything you find during your own investigation. I can make it worth your time.” Emily Wong explained. John nodded. That didn’t sound too bad.

“Sounds like a good cause. If I find any information, it's yours.” John allowed and she gave a big, knowing smile.

“Actually you might already have it. You took down Fist. I was sure he was a big player in anything going on here. Did you find anything in his office that could help me?” she asked and John remembered the disks Garrus had found. 

“One second.” He said, bringing up his Omni-tool and sending a call to Garrus. It opened a moment later, audio only.

“Something wrong Shepard?” Garrus’s voice asked. Someone was speaking as Garrus talked and John was willing to bet it was his sister making snarky comments.

“Can you send me copies of those OSDs you found in Fist’s office? A reporter is asking for copies.” John replied. It was quiet for a moment before his Omni-tool beeped, indicating a new message.

“Sent, Commander. Your sister also says to quit dawdling meet us in the markets.”

“Will do, see you there, Garrus.” John said before disconnecting the called. He quickly transferred the files to some OSDs he had on him. “Here, these OSDs might have the information you're looking for.”

“You've got Fist's files? This could be even bigger than I'd hoped! Here, Commander. For your trouble!” Emily exclaimed happily as she handed him a credit chit and John smirked. This kind of reporter he could work with and an idea came to him.

“What would my future cooperation be worth? Say, an interview when my investigation is over? Maybe me and my sister if I can convince her?” John said, dangling the idea out there. Emily promptly took the bait.

“Exclusive? You talk to me before you talk to anyone else? That would be worth quite a bit, and I'd be very happy to compensate you accordingly.” She agreed and they shook on it. “Now if you'll excuse me, I should go see what's on these disks.”

John shook his head at meeting the rare creature known as an honest reporter and led the others to meet the rest of the Normandy crew.

~*~*~

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more, but Admiral Kahoku could have told you more," Captain Anderson said and Jane nodded. 

"I was curious, but I know Admiral Kahoku was off looking into what happened to his men," Jane sighed before her Omni tool pinged. "Looks like John's done with his errands too. He’s on his way to meet us at the markets." 

"Too bad about Banes, I wonder who was using his name if he's supposed to be dead," Garrus muttered. 

"Maybe we'll find out about it later," Jane shrugged. "We stopped the harassment, that's good enough for me." They headed towards the markets before Jane noticed John coming up the stairs. She went to head him off when they both saw the blond figure. Jane fought the urge to roll her eyes. 

"Hey Commanders! It's me Conrad Verner! Remember me?" Conrad cried and Jane wondered if she would ever forget the kind but creepy man. "There are rumors on the extranet that you've been made the first human Spectres. That's incredible! 

"Being a Spectre is a big responsibility," John said. "We want to make humanity proud." 

"The vids are all talking about the Commander Shepards fighting for all of us back home," Conrad said with a rather official looking salute. "And they also say you don't take crap from anybody." 

"Depends which one and from who," Wrex chuckled and Jane shot him a look while Garrus hid a chuckle behind a cough. 

"You're showing them what humans can do. Hey can I get your picture?" Conrad asked and John gave Jane a look. Jane fought a groan but what would a picture hurt? Besides, there were always people like Conrad. John made Jenkins seem like a bit of a hero worshiper too so maybe that was why he was willing to indulge Conrad. At least she wasn't stuck on the ship with someone who idolized her. 

"I don't have a problem with it, but why?" Jane asked. 

"You're both heroes. Decades from now humanity's going to remember you and I'll have your picture," Conrad said with a bit of a creepy look and Jane instantly regretted agreeing to the picture. "Just stand back to back and hold up your guns." Jane pressed her back to John's and they both brought their pistols up. 

"Perfect," Conrad purred. Jane wanted to play it off, but it was a purr of satisfaction. "Thanks. I'm going to hang this in my living room! My wife will love it!" Jane watched him walk away and shuddered. 

"Be nice," John teased not that he blamed Jane. He felt a bit creeped out too.

"I didn't say it," Jane replied as they headed to rapid transport.

"You were thinking it," John replied. 

"She wasn't the only one," Ash shot back and Jane laughed as they all headed back to the Normandy.

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 10th, 2183 CE  
Location: Argos Rho cluster

“-the hell do you want me to do about it Shepard?” 

Jane paused, seeing John talking to Wrex. That wasn’t an unusual sight, she’d often caught them talking about stuff before. Where exactly to place a knife blade for maximum damage, what weapon to use against who, so on and so on. She figured Wrex and John talked a lot because they were both ‘meat tanks’ as she affectionately thought of her brother and now the Krogan. This time however Wrex seemed to be getting angry about something. She got closer and noticed they were glaring at each other.

“I’m tired of sticking my ass on the line and getting nothing for it.” Wrex finished with a snarl. John sighed. 

“So you’re just giving up on your people?” John snapped back. 

“I gave up on a lost cause,” Wrex retorted. “I’m no hero, Shepard. Bottom line, killing for credits simplifies things.”

“So you never think about helping your people,” John snapped. Wrex shifted uncomfortably before replying.

“I try not to,” Wrex grumbled. Both men seemed to notice Jane and stopped.

“Anything you guys want to tell me?” she asked. Wrex shrugged and John shot him a look.

“He’s been restless since we set course for this system,” John explained, “and during PT earlier he bent a steel weight bar into a circle. I’ve been trying to ask him what’s going on.”

“Well save it for later,” Jane chided “we’ve picked up encrypted chatter coming from planet Tantau in the Phoenix system. Gear up.”

The two Shepards watched Wrex stomp over to his locker and yank the door open. John sighed and moved to the elevator to head for his and Jane’s lockers.

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 10th, 2183 CE  
Location: Argos Rho cluster, Phoenix system, Planet Tantau

“I don’t like this,” Garrus commented as they entered the complex’s main doors. “You’d think they’d have had more than three guards by the front doors.”

“I know this feels all wrong,” John agreed. He was about to open the next set of doors from the air lock area when he noticed Wrex. He was staring at the pirate tag painted not too far from them, an odd expression on his face.

“You okay T-Wrex?” Jane asked, noticing the Krogan’s strange behavior as well.

“I know who runs this place,” Wrex growled. John blinked and took his hand away from the door.

“Have you been here before?” John asked as the others exchanged looks.

“No but I was planning to come here before I met all of you,” Wrex replied and the Shepards exchanged a glance. It certainly explained why the Krogan had been moody ever since they arrived in this cluster. “This place belongs to a Turian scum named Tonn Actus. It’s a long story but he has something that belongs to me.”

“Okay Wrex enough with the gruff merc act.” John snapped. “We’re all your friends here. Tell us what he took from you and we’ll help you get it back.” Wrex was silent for a moment, giving them a careful look before nodding slowly.

“Urdnot family armor,” Wrex explained. “It’s been with us for over five generations. Turian military took it from my father’s father after the war. Somehow this ass wound up with it.”

“We’ll get it back,” Jane assured, patting the Krogan on his hump. “Now let’s move. We’ve got a Turian to introduce ourselves to.”

“Right behind you Shepards.” Wrex snarled.

~*~*~

The fight had been brutal. Garrus’ concerns about the lack of outside protection were valid. Almost as soon as they entered the inner area they were in one hell of a fire fight. Still, the Normandy team had really started to click and made short work of them. John shivered to himself as they followed Wrex upstairs to the storage room. Wrex had been a bit brutal though. Tonn had been the last one alive at the end and Wrex had knee capped the poor bastard before firmly grasping both mandibles, one in each hand and damn near ripping Tonn’s head off as he snapped the Turian’s neck by twisting Tonn’s head around in an almost perfect 180. As they approached the safe Tali moved forward with no prompting to hack the security code on the armor shaped safe. As it swung open Wrex made an annoyed sound.

“This is it,” Wrex said. He touched the armor a thoughtful look on his face. “I can’t believe my ancestors ever wore this piece of crap but I got it back.”

“I’m glad we could help you get it back,” John said earnestly. Wrex grunted and shot him a grin as Jane unfolded a duffle from her belt and shook it out before handing it to the Krogan.

“I might just be starting to like you Shepards.” Wrex mused.

 

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 12th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Styx Theta Cluster

"Alright ground team we have no idea what to expect, just that we received a distress call planet side," Jane said looking at the ground team as the Mako was dropped. 

"I love going in blind," Ash sighed sarcastically and Jane nodded. 

"Snipers and Kaidan with me," Jane said. "We'll be defense. John, Liara, Wrex, and Tali will be offense. Whatever we face, we take it out. Snipers, we're on pistols and assault rifles, once we get the chance to rifle up, we do it. Kaidan, you watch our backs so we can go scope."

"Understood, ma'am," Ash said.

"Commander," Kaidan said with a nod. 

"Right behind you, Shepard," Garrus stated. The Mako rocked as it hit the ground. They quickly zeroed in on the base only for a few familiar forms to appear. 

"Jane," John warned and Jane's teeth clenched. 

"Rachni..." she hissed. 

"What did I say, Shepard?" Wrex snarled and Jane gave him a glare before looking at the insects as they approached. The Rachni scattered erratically and some even hit the Mako suicidally trying to latch on.

"These are the crazed Rachni," Jane stated. 

"And how would you know?" Wrex asked and Jane pointed. 

"Look how they move, that's the same pattern they moved on Noveria," she stated. "The Queen moved differently. Even when escaping, she moved with purpose, this is chaotic." 

"What's the plan?" John asked. He thought Jane assumed too much sometimes about how people moved. He certainly didn’t see it.

"It's not changed," Jane stated. 

"They have a turret that looks intact but it's not firing," John said. "I'll drop you off here and bring Tali to fix it." 

"Why do you say that?" Tali asked. 

"If it's not firing and undamaged it’s probably tech issues," John said. "Could be a power drain, and if it is we can use the Mako to power it. I had to do something similar during the Blitz, some of those turrets get crap batteries." He yanked hard on the controls as he braked the Mako, aiming the rear hatch at the defenders. 

"Move out!" Jane ordered as she opened the rear hatch and the team slipped out. As soon as the team was clear John drove it to the turret, even dragging the hatch as it closed. 

Garrus, Ash, and Jane spaced out behind Wrex and Liara while Kaidan moved to the back. Wrex let out a battle roar and took on the first drone while Liara threw the next. Jane and Kaidan each threw a Rachni before the sniper rifles were out. 

"Garrus two to six, Ash, six to ten, I'll take ten to two," Jane ordered and the snipers faced away from each other. 

"Most action is coming from nine to four," Garrus stated. 

"I don't care, they're not stupid beasts, they might figure it out, let's keep that from happening!" Jane said. The assault seemed to stop and the group moved to the listening post, John jogging up with Tali by his side.

"Lieutenant Durand," a woman said, saluting. 

"Commander Shepard," Jane said. "We got your distress call. How long have the Rachni been here?" 

"Just a couple of days," she said and Jane shot John a look. They had wiped out Noveria's Rachni weeks ago. "These can't be Rachni." 

"They are," Wrex growled shooting Jane a glare. 

"Don't worry, they're weak to biotic attack," Jane said. "You've got four right now." 

"Damn, we might just make it," she said. "Shit, there are more." 

"The turret is running off the Mako's power," Tali cried as she moved to get into position with Liara. 

"Round two!" Jane called pulling up her rifle. This wave was quicker with the whole team in action. They moved like a well oiled machine. The snipers weakening the Rachni while Liara stunned them so John, Tali, and Wrex could wreak havoc. 

"Commanders. UVA shows there is a hollow space about 500 meters below the surface," a marine called and Jane looked at John. 

"Looks like we're on a bug hunt," Jane stated. 

"I wonder why," Wrex huffed and Jane gave him a look. 

"If we find the Queen, we kill them all, if she's not here, these guys left Noveria before we ran the purge," Jane stated. 

"I agree with that," Wrex snarled. Jane was getting tired of Wrex blaming her for her Rachni decision. She wasn't going to commit genocide. They made it to the mine and slowly entered. 

"I have to say, I don't like walking into a nest like this," Ash said. 

"To be fair, we can say something only Krogan could for a while," John joked. 

"These may have escaped when we were making our way to Peak 15," Jane said and all hell broke loose as Rachni slipped out of the walls. Wrex roared and went to town as the rest closed ranks. Jane winced as acid hit her shoulder. 

"On it," Kaidan said, applying medi-gel to the wound. 

"Thanks," Jane said shooting the drone that spat on her. 

Soon enough the nest was cleared out. 

"Commander Shepard?" Lieutenant Durand's voice called over the comm. 

"Yes?" Jane answered. 

"Our sister post went quiet a few days before these guys showed up. We were getting ready to head there when shit hit the fan here. They're on Altahe, I'll send you the coordinates," Lieutenant Durand said and Jane gave John a look. 

"We'll check up on them," Jane said and the group headed back to the Mako, prepared for more Rachni on Altahe. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 16th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Gorgon System, Argos Rho Cluster

The ground team entered the freighter and Jane looked around. 

"This is the ship that passed by both listening stations. Be prepared," Jane warned as they moved to the main compartment of the ship. "We have to change it up for this one, we don't have the freedom we did on land. Biotics, we take the front, we blast them before they get too close. Liara and I will warp them, Kaidan and Wrex, you two push. While we do that, the rest of you blast them."

"Yes ma'am," was the reply. 

They’d been able to easily wipe out the remaining Rachni on Altahe but had found journal entries that indicate that the Rachni had been shipped from Noveria by Cerberus. Jane had insisted they track down the ship and John agreed. Now they entered the ship and all was breaking loose. Jane stood between Liara and Kaidan, Wrex was next to Liara. They glowed as they pushed through the ship, each Rachni drone was stunned and the group behind took them out with extreme prejudice. Jane's boot slid a bit in the sludge of the Rachni remains but they managed to make it to the bridge but found nothing. It was in one of the modules that they found the terminal with the logs.

"They didn't escape, the Peak 15 scientists were experimenting with them out here," Garrus stated as the last log ended and Jane shook her head. 

"We need to take care of this loose end and that should be the end of the Peak 15's insane Rachni," Jane said as her Omni tool beeped. "We need to move! Now!" 

"What?" John asked as Jane began to run and the group followed her.

"Seventy second detonation time!" Jane cried.

“What the hell Jane!"

"Why did you set that?" Garrus cried.

"I didn't the idiot who set the explosives did! Joker once we are in the Normandy get us as far away from this ship as possible!" Jane cried and the group threw themselves into the Normandy. 

"What the hell, Commander!" Joker cried and as the hatch closed the Normandy began to speed away from the freighter. The Normandy shook shortly after the shock wave from the freighter’s explosion hit them. 

"Sorry, Joker, the idiot who set the explosives up punched in a seventy second start time," Jane said. 

"Jeeze, guess they were planning on setting them off from a safe distance like a sane person," Joker said sarcastically. 

"Well, if the big nasty space bugs didn't eat them, I'm sure it would have worked fine," Jane said as she entered the Normandy and moved into the bridge. 

"Big space bugs?" Joker asked and Jane nodded. 

"Really big and really nasty," Jane stated as the rest of the team headed off to clean up. 

"You stepped in something, Commander," Joker said and Jane nodded. 

"Really big space bug," Jane replied and Joker stared at her.

"You're not joking," he said.

"No, that's why we have you, Joker," Jane replied and Joker looked at her. 

"We'll reach Feros in thirty-eight hours," he said.

"Excellent," Jane stated. 

"Are you going to change out of your armor?" Joker asked. 

"You miss out on all the ground team stuff, I thought I'd let you enjoy the smell of what we've been doing the last couple of missions off the ship," Jane stated as she moved to sit in the co-pilot seat. 

"How much longer are you in command?" Joker asked. 

"Two hours," Jane replied and Joker nodded. 

"How big?" he asked again.

"Really big, Joker," Jane stated and Joker was eternally thankful he wasn't ground team. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 18th, 2183 CE  
Location: Feros Colony Landing Port

"This place is amazing," Liara exclaimed as the team exited the Normandy.

"It is also currently crawling with Geth," Tali reminded the Asari and Jane saw a colonist waiting near the end of the platform. He raised a hand in greeting. 

"Fai Dan wants to talk to you," he said. Jane opened her mouth to ask the obvious, who was Fai Dan, when a Geth popped up. Before Jane could shout out a warning a rocket hit the man, sending chunks of him raining down on the team. Everyone dove for cover and Jane looked over at John. 

"John's team take point, snipers and Kaidan, we know the drill!" Jane roared as she moved to the position closest behind John's team, Ash and Garrus picking points to the side. Kaidan moved to position beside Jane. She gave him a look.

"You're the one who needs the most cover," he stated, his dark eyes filled with a protective light, and she put her eye to the scope, hoping the slight blush would vanish. Wrex lifted a Geth and threw it off the platform. It was a long drop. John was rushing another, shooting his assault rifle up into its chest cavity. Liara was lifting two more and Jane put two holes through one while Ash and Garrus perforated the other. They were moving through the Geth like a hot knife through butter. Jane nodded as they finished off the Geth in the hangar. Jane looked at her scanner only to see it was still jammed, more Geth nearby. 

She looked over at John and he nodded. He saw the same thing on his scanner, they moved together towards the stairs and there was the telltale sound of Geth clicks and beeps. John gave Jane a grin and Jane narrowed her eyes in response before she switched to her pistol and the two Shepards charged up the steps. Their team at their backs as Jane lifted and threw the Geth assassins while John took on the troopers. The rest of the team was quick to put holes in the various targets. The Shepards shared a look before they moved up slowly. They found concrete barriers with humans, looks of relief plain on their faces.

"Glad to see some soldiers. Our numbers are getting thin," one man said. 

"Who is in charge here?" Jane asked. 

"Fai Dan," the man said. 

"He's back there," the woman replied and the ground team headed into the colony. Jane noticed a woman working on the water pipes. 

"Has there been damage?" Jane asked. 

"No," the woman snapped before sighing. "I'm sorry, but I can't stop to talk. I have to deal with the water shortage." John and Jane shared a look. Water was essential for colonies, in fact, most human colonies were established on planets with large water supplies, but this colony wasn't exactly normal. Jane's eyes moved over the ruins they were situated in. 

"Is there anything we can do?" Jane asked.

"The utilities building was one of the first to fall under Geth control," the woman explained. "Find the mains and turn them back on. Until then, the colony is dry." Jane winced, water would be a major problem. 

"We'll try to get the water back on," Jane said. 

As they moved on, Jane looked at a woman working on a power station, she stopped and tapped the woman on the shoulder. The woman got up and dusted off her hands, looking at the group. 

"Nice work with those Geth. Glad you showed up," the woman said. "I still need the power cells for this generator, though." 

"Could we bring some power cells from the Normandy? We can certainly spare a few," John said. 

"Your top-of-the-line ship doesn't use the same parts as the old generator we've got. The cells just aren't compatible," the woman said shaking her head. 

"We'll keep our eyes open as we're looking around. If we find anything, we'll send it your way," Jane said and they left. Jane looked at the ship and head in. They were looking for a man and there was a guy hanging out looking deep in through. The group approached. 

"Are you Fai Dan?" Jane asked the man in the corridor and he shook his head. 

"No, I'm Davin Reynolds, you're the one who repelled that last wave. They'll be back. And if the Geth don't kill us, we'll die of hunger soon enough," Davin said and Jane blinked. 

"Are you doing anything to remedy the situation?" John asked. Both twins were surprised one of the first things a colony did was secure its own food production. 

"I need to boost rations with Varren meat, but it's too dangerous," Davin explained. "The alpha Varren, he's huge and he's mad. Rabid, maybe. Totally uncontrollable. I can't do anything until he's dead." 

"Where is he?" Jane asked and Davin sent the location to her Omni tool.

"If you get the chance to take him out, we'd appreciate it," he said and Jane nodded. 

"Where is Fai Dan?" Jane asked and Davin pointed to the other door out of the ship. 

"He's near the elevator, guarding that entrance," he explained and Jane nodded. 

"Thank you," she said as the group headed out of the ship. They looked around and John tapped Jane's shoulder, his head nodded to where an older man stood with a woman close to their age. The group approached. 

"Ah, Commanders, I'm glad they finally sent somebody to help us," the man, Fai Dan, said. 

"You're a bit late, aren't you?" the woman sneered and Jane found herself disliking the woman immediately. 

"Arcelia!" Fai Dan scolded. "Sorry, Commanders. Everyone's on edge since..." There was the tell-tale sounds of Geth from the corridor beside the group. 

"Watch out!" Arcelia cried and the group quickly moved into position. Jane and Garrus ended up behind the barrier directly across from the corridor. Jane popped up and threw the Geth back. It slowed them down and allowed John and Wrex to get beside each door while Kaidan stayed with Fai Dan and Arcelia, Liara and Ash took the other barrier. A small team of Geth walked right into the kill zone. 

"Those damn Geth are in the tower," Arcelia snarled. 

"We must protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan said. Jane approached them again. 

"We'll go clear out that tower and take care of some of the issues we've seen around the colony," Jane said and Fai Dan nodded. 

"Thank you," he said. As the group prepared to enter the tower Jane gave a look. 

"John, you and your team clear out that tower. I'll take my team to get the water back up and take care of the Varren. These colonists are done if they don't get water and food," Jane said. 

~*~*~

John felt like Jane was still getting back at him for something as he led his team upstairs. There was a giant hole in the roof of the tower and a Geth dropship was of course using it to drop Geth platforms directly in.

“This is one of the best days ever!” Wrex roared as he happily ripped off the head of a Geth platform that had tried to rush the Krogan. John couldn't help but shiver a bit as gush of Geth hydraulic fluid sprayed from the neck stump.

“He’s enjoying this way too much,” John muttered to Liara. The Asari maiden nodded before slamming a Geth destroyer with a singularity. The destroyer’s shields and armor were already gone thanks to Tali and the Geth let out a high pitched whine as it was torn apart. John took in a deep breath, tension leaving his body. That had been the last Geth unit. He stood up from cover, Liara standing with him. Tali was inspecting the remains of a Geth unit not too far from them and Wrex let out a roar of triumph.

“It’s better than him-” Liara’s reply was cut off as a Geth Prime slammed into the ground in front of them, not two feet from Wrex. It back handed Wrex, sending the Krogan flying, an expression of surprise on his reptilian features. He slammed into a wall, unconscious before he slid to the ground.

“Oh, what the fuck?!” John cried out as Tali dove for cover and Liara ducked back down. “That’s just not fair!”

The Geth Prime didn’t seem to care about what was fair as it removed its gun from its back. The barrels began to whine as they sped up as it took aim at the unconscious Krogan. John reacted on instinct, opening fire with his assault rifle. He held the trigger down till it overheated, trying to draw the Geth’s attention. 

It worked. The Geth’s head swiveled to focus on John and it made an electrical gurgle and turned to the gun on the Spectre. 

“Liara get Wrex!” John order, dropping his discharging rifle to yank his shotgun off his back. He blasted the Prime in the face and its shots went wide. John moved left keeping its focus on him. “Tali, I could use a little help here!”

“I’m working on it, Commander!” Tali snapped from behind her cover. John yanked a grenade off his belt and tossed it at the Prime. It exploded and the Geth’s shield’s barely wavered. It did seem to irritate the Geth and it began to stomp towards him in a charge. John dove out of the way at the last minute and it smashed into the wall behind him. 

“Any day now Tali!” John roared, throwing two grenades this time. Just before they hit, the Geth’s shields dropped in a bright blue flash and the grenades hit the Prime’s back. They exploded and took the Prime’s torso with them. For a moment there was just a smoking waist and legs standing there before they feel to the ground. John let out a deep sigh of relief as the Geth dropship roared, finally moving away.

“Thanks Tali,” John replied, turning around. 

“I was just thankful I didn’t get your shields too.” She replied, shooting him a thumbs up as she went to close her Omni-tool. She paused however as she saw something and began to type away at it. John turned his attention to where Liara was tending to Wrex. The Krogan was getting to his feet and shaking his head. John let out a snort as Wrex turned to the side and spat out a tooth.

“That damn pyjak is lucky you got him before I got back up,” Wrex growled “it’s damn annoying as a tooth grows back!”

“Just be happy they grow back,” Liara chided. John began to inspect the area and what remained of the Geth for anything they might need or something that would give a clue as to why the Geth were on Feros when Tali spoke up.

“John, I’m picking up a Geth beacon coming from the tunnels where Jane went.” Tali said, closing her Omni-tool. John sighed.

“And you can’t get ahold of Jane can you?” John asked, seeing where this was going. Tali shook her head.

“Then I think we better take care of that beacon ourselves then.”

~*~*~

The tunnels were clearly the remains of the ruins. 

"Liara must be thrilled to be here," Kaidan muttered and Jane nodded as they entered the tunnel and followed Davin's direction to a room. 

"Well, we've killed Varren before, we can again," Ash said and Jane nodded. 

"Too bad, I bet they would make great sheep dogs if you trained them," Jane said and the group all paused. "What? Nothing would eat your herd with those guys on duty." 

"Except them," Garrus pointed out. 

"I said if you trained them," Jane stated and Ash chuckled. 

"Once a farmer always a farmer, huh ma'am?" Ash teased. 

"Laugh it up, Williams," Jane shot back as they entered and quickly turned to see the Varren over the door. 

"Clever girl," Jane muttered as she quickly threw them back. 

"Damn, they're fast!" Ash cried as they began to shoot. 

"Watch out," Kaidan cried, lifting a Varren rushing at Jane. She dropped to the ground and shot up. The Varren was dead when it landed and Jane was up in time to see the large, red Varren snarl before rushing them. She quickly lifted and threw the creature. It hit the wall and didn't get up. 

"Hey, that old mako might have the power cells that woman was looking for," Garrus pointed out. 

"You're right...and you know who would be best for carrying them?" Jane grinned and Garrus stared at the group. 

"Now that's not fair," he sighed. 

"How many water mains did we see?" Kaidan asked.

"I only counted two," Jane said. 

"Let's check the rest of the tunnels before we turn them on," Ash said and the group nodded. 

"I'm not carrying these forever," Garrus griped and Kaidan took one of the power cells. 

"Shit!" Jane hissed as she entered the next tunnel only to see the welcoming committee. She ducked behind a barrier with Ash. 

"I think we're going the right way," Ash stated and Jane nodded before pulling out her rifle. Ash kept the close ones pinned while Jane picked off the further ones. "Clear!" Garrus and Kaidan entered and the group moved. 

"I think we've found all the mains," Jane said before she looked and held up a hand. She moved slowly out of the last tunnel to see a man. "Are you alright? Do you need help getting back to the colony?" 

"You don't want to go down there!" he cried and Jane got a bad vibe off the guy. 

"What are you doing down here?" she asked and he shot her a grin that made her wonder about his mindset.

"Nothing I should be, and anything I shouldn't," he said before he cried out in pain. "No! That was a good one. Very intense."

"What's the matter with you?" Jane asked and he smiled back up at her. 

"Just invoking the master's whip," he said and Jane got a creepy feeling. "Helps remind me I'm still alive. You're here for the Geth, aren't you? You're not the only one interested in those...things." Jane blinked at that, he might be crazy, but crazy didn't mean stupid. 

"Who else is looking for the Geth?" Jane asked. 

"Not looking for; looking to get rid of," the man said. "They're a thorn in the side of the...waaaagh! Agh! Trying to get to the....aaiiee! Gyahh!" He began to laugh. 

"He clearly needs medical help," Kaidan stated. 

"Is there anything I can do to help you? Do you even want help?" Jane asked and the man gave her a very serious look.

"Help me? No. No one can help me now," he said and for some reason Jane felt his seriousness. "I would rather die fighting." Jane could relate to that statement, but what was he fighting. 

"Fighting what?" Jane asked and the man's eyes weren't insane. 

"Not that kind of fight. It's like running through a thorn bush. The more you struggle...time's up. Company's coming. Ask Fai Dan. Ask him about the...aaaagh!" Jane wanted to help the man.

"Look out!" Garrus cried and Jane turned around to see more Geth. 

"Damn it," she hissed before she and Kaidan both threw the Geth back. They fired and Jane quickly moved into the tunnel. There were many more Geth that got in behind them. "Well, they seemed to appear out of thin air." Jane began firing when she heard the comforting sounds of familiar voices. The Geth at the end of the tunnel didn't expect John to appear with his group. Jane wondered if that was surprise she saw in the glowing lights of the Geth’s optics. Probably not, but it was an amusing thought. 

"You were taking forever, baby sister," John said from his end of the tunnel.

"I could have handled it and only by fourteen minutes," Jane stated as she got up and headed over to a water main, John did the same at his end of the tunnel. "Couldn't stand waiting for me?" 

"Tali detected a Geth beacon down here so we took care of it," John said and Jane blinked. 

"Good job, Tali," she called. 

"Thank you, Commander," Tali replied and the groups joined back up. 

"Well we have the food, water, and power covered," Jane stated and John nodded. 

"Geth have been cleared out of this part of the colony," he said and the Shepards nodded as they headed back up to the colony. 

~*~*~

“Fai Dan.” John called out as they approached the colony leader. The man turned to them, a hopeful expression on his face. “We destroyed a Geth transmitter in the tunnels. They won't be a problem any longer.” Fai Dan sighed in relief at John’s words.

“Thank you, Commanders. We're in your debt. You've taken a great weight off my shoulders. I just wish I had such good news for every problem.” 

“There's a guy living down in the tunnels. Is he one of yours?” Jane asked. John blinked. What guy?

“That would be Ian. He's very sick.” Fai Dan explained and John rolled his eyes. It sounded like they were going to leave him there.

“We'll get back to you when we know more.” Jane said. “We’ll tell the others we’ve solved the other issues so you guys should be fine for a while.”

“I’ll take my squad to secure the Mako on the skyway and we’ll meet you there, Jane.” John said. Jane waved him off as she headed deeper into the colony. John removed his rifle from the back and headed for the skyway. Anything was better than going from colonist to colonist and saying ‘It was done.’

~*~*~

Jane stared out of the Mako as she fired on the Geth. 

"This isn't too bad," John stated as they caught some radio chatter. 

"That's not setting us up," Jane sighed as the Mako stopped. 

"You're more superstitious than usual," John joked and Jane gave him a look. 

"The best way to ensure we meet trouble is being thankful that we're out of danger," Jane stated as they exited the Mako and entered the tunnel. 

"Geth nearby," Tali called and Jane put up a barrier just in time to avoid fire from a Geth behind some crates. 

"Easy," John grinned as they cleared out the tunnel and headed back to the Mako.

"What could they be after here?" Liara pondered as they entered the Mako.

"Maybe something to build on the information from the beacon on Eden Prime," Jane replied. 

"We still don't know what that is as well," Liara sighed.

"If I knew I would tell you, but it seems incomplete," Jane said before taking position in the gunner's seat. 

"I'm picking up a comm signal. It's too weak to pinpoint, but there's definitely someone out here," Garrus stated as they pulled forward and the radio chattered. 

"Any sign of movement? Lizbeth could still be in there. It's only been a few days. She's my daughter. I'll wait as long as I have to," a woman's voice called out over the radio and Jane began aiming at the Geth on the skyway. 

"Someone in there is still alive at least," Tali said as they stopped where another tunnel that had Geth readings. 

"At least we can give them some relief," John said as he led the way out and Jane nodded. At least they made it in time to keep the colony from being completely destroyed.

~*~*~

“…we've got movement...some king of vehicle. Not one of the Geth. They must be close enough to see us…”

“There, that’s where they have to be,” Jane pointed out. They slowed the Mako to a crawl before piling out. John turned to the ramp and saw people moving about farther down. As they headed down to meet them a man pushed his way to the front ahead of them. He seemed twitchy, nervous as they approached. John frowned. If they didn’t handle this carefully, this man might make a mistake that could get people hurt or worse.

“That's close enough!” the man shouted at them as they approached. John and Jane stopped, the others filing in behind them.

“Relax, Jeong. They're obviously not Geth.” A woman said coming up the stand beside the nervous man.

“Get back, Juliana.” The man snapped at the woman, Juliana, before focusing back at the Shepards and the Normandy team. “Who are you? What do you want?”

“I’m Commander John Shepard and this is my sister Commander Jane Shepard. The people behind us are our crew. We're here to remove your Geth problem.” John explained. Juliana smiled.

“You see Ethan? You worry too much.” She chided the nervous man.

“And you trust too easily, Juliana.” Ethan retorted.

“I'm just glad to see a friendly face. I thought we were the only humans left on this planet.” Juliana explained. John and Jane shared a look.

“Fai Dan and some of the members of Zhu's Hope are still alive.” Jane revealed. John’s eyes narrowed at Juliana’s look of surprise and Ethan’s look of panic.

“I thought you said they were all dead!” Juliana accused Ethan who glared at her.

“I said they were ‘probably’ all dead.” Ethan explained. Jane rolled her eyes and John discretely jabbed her with his elbow.

“They're surviving, but the Geth really hit them hard.” Garrus spoke up behind them.

“We know what that's like. Those damn synthetics are relentless.” Juliana replied.

“We'll do whatever we can to keep them away from you. But we need some information.” John explained and wasn’t surprised to see Ethan narrow his eyes at him.

“What kind of information?” Ethan asked and Juliana rolled her eyes.

“Ignore him. The Geth are up in the ExoGeni headquarters. Just a bit further along the skyway.” Juliana said.

“Those headquarters are private property, soldier. Remove the Geth and nothing else.” Ethan cut in quickly.

“We're not interested in your company secrets.” Jane stated curtly.

“Commander, before you go...My daughter, Lizbeth. She's missing...could you…?” Juliana tried to ask but Ethan cut her off.

“They shouldn't waste time poking around. We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the Geth are gone.” Ethan brushed her off. John glared at the man himself this time.

“That's my daughter you're talking about! She's still alive. I know it.”

“Where is your daughter, Juliana?” John asked. She whirled around to face them defiant.

“She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came.”

“Oh, yeah! There are several places she could hide. For a short time.” Ethan mumbled.

“If she's in there, we'll get her out.” John assured her, Jane nodding in agreement.

“Thank you, Commanders. Thank you.”

“Do you know what the Geth are after?” Jane inquired.

“I have no idea.” Juliana said, shaking her head. “We certainly haven't found anything of use. Something ExoGeni is keen to remind us of.”

“We need to recoup our expenses. It's nothing personal.” Ethan tried to explain. John ignored the man.

“Tell us about the colony. Anything we should know?” John asked.

“We established ourselves here four years ago.” Juliana began. “Growth was steady until the attacks. Our biggest challenge has been the lack of resources. There's just so little here of value. Still, we were making a go of it. It was even starting to feel like home.”

“How did you get split up from the Zhu's Hope colony?” Jane asked.

“Most of us lived closer to the ExoGeni building. Zhu's Hope was mostly used as a port. When the Geth hit, we scattered. Until you told us about the others, we assumed they were killed in the first wave. If we had known they were still alive, we might have attempted to join them.” 

“They're fairly secure now. Maybe you should do that.” John allowed.

“No, no, no, no.” Ethan cut in quickly. “I don't think that's a good idea. We...we have no vehicles and the skyway offers little protection.” Jane snorted and John agreed with his sister’s unspoken comment. It was obvious Ethan was hiding something.

“Like the building we're in now?” Juliana barked back, whirling on Ethan again.

“Listen, our best hope is to sit tight and wait for company reinforcements. They'll come eventually.” Ethan explained. 

“What was the building used for?” Jane asked.

“We repurposed that structure to serve as headquarters for ExoGeni. It's mostly offices with a number of light duty R and D labs.” Ethan explained.

“ExoGeni is a master at "re-purposing" anything and everything.” Juliana bit out and John smiled. 

“The company has to make a profit somehow, Juliana. Feros is a long way from self-sufficient.” Ethan tried to chide her.

“Stay bunkered down until we find out what the Geth are after.” John said, starting to lead the others back to the mako. 

“Of course. And please remember, if you see my daughter...”

~*~*~

Jane saw a man at a terminal near Juliana and Ethan, she elbowed John and headed over to the man. John shook his head at the rest of the team before following behind Jane. 

"Hmm...they could survive out there, no problem," he muttered before looking up at the twins. "I was hoping you'd have a moment to speak with me. I've got a bit of a problem." Jane wanted to roll her eyes. There was always someone who needed them to do something else on these missions. 

"What do you need?" John asked and Jane fought the sigh. Of course they would help them, they wouldn't be the Shepard twins if they didn't reach out to every soul. 

"I need to retrieve some data. It's not a big job, but it pays well," the man said. 

"Sounds easy enough," John said. 

"What's the catch?" Jane asked. 

"No catch, really. It's just dangerous work, but not for someone like you two," the man grinned and Jane did roll her eyes. 

"What is it about us that makes people assume we enjoy being in harm's way?" Jane muttered and John chuckled. 

"It's not that bad, really. All you need to do is find my console at ExoGeni headquarters and drop the data onto this OSD. It's that simple," he said offering out an OSD and Jane grabbed it. 

"We'll look around if we get the chance," John said and Jane tucked the OSD in a pocket. 

"I appreciate it. That data could be worth a lot of money," the man said. "Of course that depend on getting out of here alive." 

"What is this data we're getting for you?" Jane asked. 

"Plans for a few prototype mods. I'm a freelancer. Some of my mods are highly sought after," the man grinned and Jane was a little more curious now. A mod manufacturer was a useful friend. 

"Why work in the middle of nowhere if your skills are so useful?" Jane asked. 

"Maybe I've got a bit of frontier spirit in me. That, and the alternative is a bit too "secure" for my liking. Freelancers don't have to worry about security as much, so long as we keep a low profile," he said and Jane nodded. 

"Do you have any idea what the Geth were looking for?" John asked.

"Ah, that's for smarter men than me to figure out. I have no idea what anyone would want with this ruin," the man sighed. Jane slapped John's arm. 

"Time to get moving," she said and they headed out. 

~*~*~

On the remainder of the drive to the ExoGeni building there was nothing much waiting for them, not with the Mako. Wrex did grumble about cheating as when they drove up to the main entrance of the building they just fired the Mako’s canon through the opening targeting the Geth they could see. After a few minutes they piled out of the Mako, Jane chastising the Krogan the entire time.

“For the last time it’s not cheating Wrex,” Jane was scolding the grumpy Krogan, “Anything that keeps us alive and wipes out the Geth without putting us in excessive danger is a win in my book.” John was pointedly ignoring them as he swept the area with Tali and Kaidan as the others stood guard for any remaining Geth.

“Still isn’t any fun,” the Krogan grumbled. Jane sighed and shook her head.

“Well if you want something fun I think I can accommodate,” John called out to them. Wrex and Jane turned to where John was, peaking into an open door on the opposite side of the room from the blue barrier. “There’s a Geth Armature in here.”

“That’ll do.” Wrex rumbled. He started for the room at slowly accelerating charge and darted into the room before either Shepard could respond. They were about to follow him in to give the big guy back up when Wrex let out a malicious laugh. Electronic whines and squeals were heard from the room and a large gush of white hydraulic flood splashed out into the hall. Wrex bellowed in triumph and more sounds of violence echoed from the room, a piece of Geth bouncing out.

“Yeah I’m not going in there,” John said quickly, turning around and heading away from the room. “I think Wrex is working off some frustration. I told you that you should have let him shoot the Mako’s guns.”

Jane grumbled to herself marching into the room and pointedly ignoring her brother. John shook his head as he went towards Ash and Kaidan who waving him toward them.

“Wrex put down the leg!”

“What? I’m just beating him to death with his own leg!”

“It’s already dead!”

“What did you guys find?” John asked curiously ignoring the shouting and sounds of violence coming from behind him.

“It appears that this hole goes under the barrier, Commander.” Ash explained. John nodded, pleased.

“Good work you guys.” John glanced at Kaidan. “Go get my sister and Wrex, LT. The rest of us will go on ahead.”

“Yes sir,” Kaidan said heading off. John motioned for the others to follow him down and he dropped down, landing at the bottom with a dull thud. Raising his assault rifle up, he moved into the new area the others following him. It was a large open area, more than likely a delivery entrance. Rubble covered the area along with various Varren bodies. John frowned sweeping the area. Had the Geth done this or was-

Shots rang out and John whirled around, his finger tightening on the trigger, an order on his lips to fi-

“Damn it! I'm so sorry. I thought you were Geth, or one of those Varren.” A brunette in scientist scrubs exclaimed, lowering her weapon. John took a deep breath, holstering his rifle and motioning for the others to stand down. He heard three thumps in the distant and knew his sister wasn’t far behind.

“You're safe now.” John soothed her, heading for the woman. “Who are you and why were you here in the first place?”

“My name is Lizbeth Baynham.” The brunette said, introducing herself. “And I’m here because it's my own fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed to back up data. Next thing I knew, the Geth ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped. I tried to get out, but the way was blocked.”

“Your mother asked us to find you. She's with some others from the colony. She's safe for now.” John said and Lizbeth sighed in relief.

“Oh, thank God she’s alive. I thought I was the only one left.” 

“We'll get you to her as soon as we find out what the Geth are after.” John said and heard his sister come up behind him. He raised an eyebrow at her as he noticed large hydraulic stains on her armor. She shot him a withering look before turning her attention to Lizbeth.

“It's not the Geth; it's the energy field they put up. They don't want anyone else getting access to the...” Lizbeth trailed off and bit her lip, looking undecided.

“We’re here for the Geth.” Tali soothed her, surprising John at her speaking up. “It's very important that we find out what they're after.”

“I don't know for certain, but I'm guessing they're here for the Thorian.” Lizbeth blurted out and then winced.

“What’s a Thorian?” Jane asked.

“It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was studying it.”

“Really?” Liara exclaimed excitedly. “To the best of my knowledge Feros was devoid of life! What else can you tell us? Do you know where we can find it?”

“I might be able to, but not with those Geth crawling around everywhere.” Lizbeth mused before she shook her head. “Look, we need to get out of here, past that field.”

“Do you know where we can shut it down?” John asked.

“No, not exactly. But I think the Geth ship is powering it. I've noticed the Geth laying power cables everywhere. You could follow those cables, but there's Geth all over the place.”

“Anything else you can you tell us what you know about the Thorian?” Jane asked. 

“I really don't know that much about it. I think it's some kind of plant being. I know it's very old. Thousands of year, even.” Lizbeth said after a moment’s hesitation. 

“Why do you think the Geth would be interested in the Thorian?” Jane asked, and Lizbeth shrugged.

“It's just a plant. I don't know why the Geth would care. ExoGeni was studying it, but I don't think they found anything special.”

“You stay put. We'll go open some doors.” John said, un-holstering his assault rifle again. Lizbeth unclipped her id tag from her shirt and handed it to Jane.

“Here, take my ID. This should get you past any locked doors. Good luck with that field.” After that she hurried away to an alcove in the wall.

“Let’s head inside.” John said. “I want to find out what these Geth are doing here.”

~*~*~

They started through the door and up the stairs. Jane immediately put a closed fist up as they reached the first landing, the team freezing in response. 

"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files!" a Krogan voice snarled from at the top of the stairs. "No, I don't want to review protocol!" Jane gave the other two snipers point looks and signaled for the others to wait. Then the three took point, slipping up the stairs silently as the rest of the crew followed behind as quietly as possible, giving them the space they needed. 

"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor," a VI hologram stated as they reached the top of the stairs and saw the Krogan's back. 

"Damn it. Tell me what I want or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" the Krogan snapped. Jane tapped Ash for the heart shots, Garrus for the head shots, and indicated herself for the spine shots. 

"Please contact your supervisor for a Level 4 security exception or make an appointment with..." the VI began and the Krogan growled. 

"Stupid machine!" he cried out in anger as the sniper team slowly began to get into firing position. 

"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console," the VI stated and Jane felt a deep agreement with the Krogan about the VI being a stupid machine. The Krogan turned and sneered, one hand moving to reach for his gun as his body turned. 

"Oh good, I really need to kill someone!" he growled. 

"Me too," Jane replied as she began to fire, Garrus and Ash following her lead. The Krogan took one step before he dropped. Jane quickly approached, firing two shots into the head, two to the chest, and three in the neck. 

"Was that really necessary? He was dead!" John barked and Jane looked at Wrex, letting the Krogan know she wanted him to answer.

"You never know who has three hearts and we all have a redundant nervous system," Wrex stated and Jane looked at John. 

"Think I should shoot him again?" John pondered as they passed the corpse to access the terminal. 

"ExoGeni reminds all staff that the discharging of weapons while on company property is strictly forbidden. Welcome back Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?" the VI asked. 

"What information was the last user attempting to access?" Jane asked. 

"Fetching data. The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species 37. The Thorian," the VI said. 

"Tell me everything you told the Krogan," Jane ordered. 

"I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from lacking proper access, there has been no new data available on Species 37. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles," the VI stated and Jane's brows furrowed. 

"What does Zhu's Hope have to do with the Thorian?" John asked, giving a voice to Jane's mental question. 

"Species 37 is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost," the VI said and Jane gave John a look. 

"That's not good," John stated. 

"Tell me everything you know about the Thorian," Jane ordered. 

"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can infect and control other organisms, including humans. The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost 85% of all test subjects were infected," the VI explained and Jane's jaw clenched. 

"Are you saying ExoGeni knew its people were getting infected?" John growled. 

"It was deemed necessary to assess the true potential of Species 37," the VI explained. 

"That would explain the odd behavior at the colony...I thought it was just a human thing," Garrus stated and Jane gave John a look. 

"We should probably get a copy of the CRA," John said. 

"And an Asari lawyer," Jane growled. 

"CRA?" Kaidan asked. 

"Colonists Rights Agreement," Ash said. 

"The documentation all first generation colonists sign when colonizing a planet. It basically states in a situation like this where a major company is involved with colonization effort the individual rights of the colonists," John said. 

"For most colonies, you don't have major companies as involved. Sometimes a company will be looking to set up a new raw material harvest site on the colony, so they build roads and schools and whatnot," John explained. 

"However, there have been situations where companies used fine print to hide the right to mess with the colonists in their CRA. Technically all colonists are supposed to know everything in the CRA, but some people just don't check the whole document, they can be massively large," Jane said. "If we are lucky ExoGeni never included that in their CRA if we're not lucky...they have the right to do this to the colonists, they agreed to it." 

"We should contact Joker," Kaidan suggested. 

"Joker. Come in. Joker. Damn it. That field's blocking us," Jane hissed as she tried to reach the Normandy. 

"We've been through worse," John stated and Jane nodded.

"We need to drop that field and get back to Zhu's Hope," Ash said. 

"VI, what can you tell me about the Geth ship and the field its generating?" John asked. 

"I have limited data on the Geth. They have effectively blocked all sensors within the facility. I have detected unusual fluctuations, but am unable to determine the source," the VI said and Jane remembered something important. 

"Who is in charge here?" Jane asked. 

"All decisions about local resource analysis and acquisition are made by onsite management, deferring to the board of directors only when seasonal quotas are missed or exceeded. Individual employee records are confidential," the VI explained. 

"I bet Ethan is the onsite management," Jane growled. 

"Tell us about the Thorian," Liara piped in.

"Species 37 was discovered several weeks ago when a small team was infected with spores while examining the ruins near the Zhu's Hope outpost. The outpost was quarantined immediately and study of the infection began. Within 21 days, 58% of colonists exhibited altered behavior. Within 28 days, 85%," the VI stated. 

"What's the size of this thing?" Jane muttered. 

"The Thorian appears to be a diffused creature. Its cognitive abilities are centered in large nerve bundles, but it receives data from kilometers of meandering tendrils. We have discovered bundle approximately one minter in diameter, but these seem insufficient to coordinate the massive sensory potential it possesses. It may simply process such stimulation slowly, or perhaps there is a nerve cluster of a greater magnitude we have not yet encountered," the VI stated. 

"Is it intelligent? Can I reason with it?" John asked. 

"The Thorian does not exhibit the focused behavior of a predator. The release of spores is an act of survival, not aggression. It does trigger advanced behaviors in the humans it enslaves, but we have yet to discover whether it recognizes, or is capable of recognizing, humans as more than tools. It is sufficiently alien as to defy classification at this time," the VI reported. 

"Where is this thing?" Jane demanded. 

"The Thorian is present as a weave of tendrils across much of the lower surface of Feros. Observation of enslaved subjects suggests there may be key clusters that are tended by thralls. Unfortunately, direct observation of Species 37 is limited or non-existent," the VI explained. 

"This is not going to be easy to save the colonists," John sight. 

"It is never easy," Jane muttered before thinking. "Please access 'my' personal files." 

"What..." John began and Jane held up a finger. 

"Elizabeth Baynham, Research Assistant, Bio-Medical Division. Security Level 4 exemption. You are currently under probation due to disagreements with management over established company policy. These sanctions may be lifted if your next evaluation is more agreeable. 

"What triggered the probation?" Jane asked. 

"You were marked as combative about the operations of the Zhu's Hope project, specifically regarding the handling of the infected colonists. As a result, you were tasked with monitoring the safety of the colonists for the duration of the observation," the VI explained and Jane felt better that Lizbeth was standing up, if weakly against ExoGeni. 

"That's enough for now," John stated. 

~*~*~

Shortly after finding the VI they came across an overhang with two Geth worshipping a ball of light between the claws of their ship jammed into the building. After quickly dispatching the Geth they climbed down to take a closer at look at the claw.

“The Geth use these claws to anchor their ships to the side of buildings,” Tali said, examining the claws and ignoring the glowing light. 

“That makes it more difficult,” Ash Kaidan, “how do we cut the power to the claws if it’s coming directly from the ship?”

“Well we could check the other claws for weaknesses,” Tali mused. “It’ll be difficult though, the Geth are very thorough.”

“That sounds like it’s our best bet. Let’s find the other claws then,” Jane stated taking lead. The others started to fall in but Tali was staring at the orb, her head cocked to the right. John had seen her do that before when something was making her annoyed. Letting Jane know that he, Liara and Tali would follow in a moment he jogged over to his Quarian friend. He waited a moment as Tali took readings with her Omni-tool. She huffed and stomped a foot as gun fire echoed down the halls. Knowing Jane would be fine John focused on Tali.

“Something bothering you Tali?” he asked and Tali huffed again, gesturing at the orb.

“This is,” she bit out. John blinked and turned to the orb the Geth had been worshipping.

“It seems to be significant to the Geth,” Liara said, voicing her thoughts. “Is it possible they set up this room to serve as a temple of sorts?”

“The Geth blur the line between organic and synthetic life. It’s natural to assume they seek understanding from a higher power.” Tali admitted, “I’ve just never thought of a Geth having a crisis of a spiritual nature before.”

“Come on let’s catch up to the others,” John said, patting Tali on the shoulder. “If I know Jane she’s already found that man’s data and found a way to separate the ship from the building.”

As they hurried up to catch up with Jane there was a loud crunch from the floor beneath them and the sounds of gun fire. The building seemed to shake and then the claw in the room they had just been in separated from the building. They hurried down as the Geth ship came crashing down. He reached Jane just as the comms finally crackled to life.

“-repeat, Normandy to shore party. Are you reading? Anyone there? Normandy to shore party. Come on, Commanders, talk to me!”

“Is that you, Joker? What's going on over there? “Jane asked.

“We're in lockdown here, Commander. Something happened to the colonists. They're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way inside the ship. They're freaking out! “

“They can't do any real damage. We're on our way back. Just hold your position.” Jane ordered as John frowned. It had to be the Thorian. One threat had been dealt with, now it was trying to deal with another.

Them.

“Uh...yeah. Okay. Well, we'll just wait right here for you, Commander.” 

As Jane cut off the signal John gestured to the main entrance where the barrier had dropped and familiar figure was waiting for them.

“Good, saves us from having to hunt her down, I want some answers,” Jane muttered heading for Lizbeth. John sighed and motioned for the others to follow.

“There you are. We should get out of here. I don't think this place is safe.” Lizbeth exclaimed. She wilted as Jane stomped over to her with a glare on her face.

“I need some answers. You knew more about the Thorian than you let on.” Jane snapped and John stepped next to her. Jane shot him and look and he shook his head. Jane took a deep breath but pulled back a bit from Lizbeth.

“I...I was afraid. I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me, told me I'd be next. When the Geth attacked, I stayed behind to send a message to Colonial Affairs. I tried to tell them where to find the Thorian, but the power cut before I could send the message. I...I never meant for this to happen!” Lizbeth burst out.

“You did what you could. I'll help them if you can tell me where to find the Thorian.” John soothed. He felt like Jane did, especially about colonies, but he knew sometimes people were stuck in no win situations. For Jane there was the right way or no way. End of story.

“The Thorian is underneath Zhu's Hope, but the entrance is blocked. The colonists covered it with the freighter just before the Geth attacked.” Lizbeth explained.

“But why are the Geth after the Thorian? What could Saren want with it?” John asked and Lizbeth sighed.

“Well, it does have unique mind-control capabilities. That's what ExoGeni was interested in.” She explained. 

“Normandy to shore party. Come in.” Joker said, reaching out to them again.

“What is it, Joker? “ Jane asked.

“We're getting a lot of Geth comm chatter. Looks like they're headed your way.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, Joker.” Jane said cutting off the comms again. “You heard the man; let's move out.”

“I'm coming with you. I might be able to help. Undo the mess I helped create.” Lizbeth piped up and Jane shot John a look. John shrugged.

“That might be a good idea. You might be able to help us free the colonist from the Thorian somehow.”

~*~*~

John was driving the Mako down towards where the ExoGeni staff was hold up when the radio burst to life. 

"...anybody. Is there anyone picking this up?" Julia's voice came in.

"Get away from that radio!" Ethan's voice followed. 

"What was that all about?" Lizbeth asked, a hint of panic in her voice. More static 

"...this is Julia Baynham of Feros colony. Please help us..." the static cut in and out. 

"That's my mom. Stop. Stop the rover!" Lizbeth cried and John did just that. She jumped from the Mako the second John stopped. Jane rushed to follow. Lizbeth was moving slowly and Jane followed suit as they moved down the ramp. Ethan was advancing on Julia and the various ExoGeni security goons were paying attention to that scene instead of the ramp. 

"You can't do this, Jeong!" Julia said. 

"Everyone shut up! Let me think!" he cried.

"What's going on?" Lizbeth asked Jane and Jane shook her head. 

"You won't get away with this," Julia stated as the security personnel closed in on her. 

"Get her out of here!" Ethan ordered and Julia was grabbed. 

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" Lizbeth cried out and Jane wanted to groan as their cover was blown. John and the others were silently approaching from the ramp but it was too late. 

"Lizbeth!" Julia cried out, breaking away so that mother and daughter could reunite. 

"Damn it! Come out where I can see you! All of you!" Ethan demanded. The entire team entered. "Shepard...Damn it! I knew it was too much to hope the Geth would kill you. I found some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni database. I know what happened on Akuze. This doesn't have to end like that." Jane felt her face drop into kill mode. If Ethan Jeong thought that trying to go after her weak spot was going to put him at an advantage, he was sorely mistaken. John stepped in front of Jane and it took all of her will power not to throw her brother to the side. 

"We can talk this out. Nobody needs to get hurt," John stated. 

"You don't understand. It's not that easy. Communications are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged," Ethan explained. 

"This is a human colony, Jeong. You can't just re-purpose us," Lizbeth cried out indignantly. 

"It's not just you. There's something here far more valuable than a few colonists," Ethan scoffed. 

"You're after the one unique thing Feros has: the Thorian," Jane stated coolly. 

"The what?" Julia asked. 

"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope. It's taking control of the colonists there. ExoGeni knew all along," Lizbeth explained to her mother. Julia turned to glare at Ethan.

"You won't get away with this, Jeong," she growled. 

"So you keep saying. But nobody's going to miss a few colonists," Ethan dismissed Julia and Jane felt her biotics start to pick up. She closed her eyes and began some mental exercises to keep from flickering her biotics with her rage. Ethan Jeong was the most worthless type of human, the type that sold his fellow humans out. 

"Can't you see the inherent potential in this colony? Think of the promotional opportunities!" John began 

"Opportunities? What the hell are you talking about?" Ethan cried. 

"They recovered from an alien attack on a frontier world. Add that to your company profile," John said and while Jane knew John was working Ethan, it made her furious to think that Ethan would put the company before the colonists. 

"Well...yeah. No one's every gone broke playing the champion of humanity card," Ethan mused.

"Sadly, you'd probably make a killing. But if it will let us get back to our lives, I'm for it," Julia sighed and Jane agreed. Sometimes you had to work with vipers to keep the flock safe. 

"It just might work. Wait, no, but the infected colonists will throw a bit of a wrench in that plan. No, no. They need to disappear," Ethan began to panic again. 

"You can't just kill the colonists. It's not their fault," Julia pointed out. Jane nearly jumped as she felt a shoulder press into hers. She looked to see Kaidan standing next to her. It wasn't noticeable to anyone looking, but he was giving her something to focus on to keep her biotics in check. She took it and kept her eyes shut inside of her helmet. If she had a flare up now Ethan would back out of the deal and make this whole thing worse.

"If you kill only the Thorian, it might be enough to stop the infection. Maybe," Lizbeth theorized. 

"It's worth a try, but I don't know how we can avoid harming the colonists," Jane threw in. 

"There has to be another way," Lizbeth groaned. 

"Maybe there is. Come and talk to me before you leave, Commander," Julia stated before walking away. 

"Just make sure there's no evidence when you're done," Ethan snapped and Jane moved back to the ramp. 

"You okay, Commander?" Kaidan asked. 

"He was very close to getting a biotically crushed knee," Jane said and Kaidan nodded. 

"If anyone deserves it more, I'd be hard pressed to find them," he said. They watched as John moved to give the OSD to the freelancer before moving to speak to Julia. Jane waited with Kaidan by the ramp. As John approached he handed a few grenades to Jane. 

"What are these?" she asked. 

"A gas grenade with a weak neurotoxin that should paralyze the colonists," John explained. 

"A neurotoxin..." Jane started and John shook his head.

"I already asked. It shouldn't affect us as badly, it's supposed to be weak," he said. 

"Let's go," Jane said. 

~*~*~

“What the hell are those?” John asked, slowing the Mako down just before the entrance to the colony parking garage, which had been locked since they had left. The team got out of the Mako and got a better look at the figures crouched down. They looked vaguely human but with brownish-greenish skin. They looked more plant than human too. Their eyes were eye black sockets and each finger was replaced with a six inch talon.

“What is that? It's not human, infection or not.” Kaidan said and Ash shivered.

“They look like those creeper things we saw in that B movie we watched together,” Ash muttered to Jane, making Jane shiver.

“Well the name certainly fits,” Jane muttered as Wrex let out a laugh. "I bet these are something from the Thorian...a Thorian creeper." 

“I wonder what color these bleed?” the Krogan exclaimed in joy.

“No hitting the colonists, even if the Thorian makes them fire on us. That's what the gas grenades are for.” John said, beginning to hand out the aforementioned grenades.

“Snipers switch to impact rounds.” Jane ordered, doing the same for her own rifle. After a few moments everyone finished adjusting their ammo. 

“Everyone ready?” John asked, heading for the garage door switch. 

“You got it, Commander. Let's do this.” Kaidan exclaimed and John slammed a fist on the switch. The creepers let out moans and began to stand and rushed them in a hoard.

~*~*~ 

They had ground through the hoard in the hanger and knocked out the colonists. The stairs were bogging them down and it seemed like every five feet was a cluster of Thorian creepers with a colonist guiding them and providing cover fire. It was slow going and Jane was getting frustrated. They had knocked out two colonists at the stairs down to the colony.

Jane checked the two colonists and nodded at John. Garrus and Ash sniped the two creepers at the base of the stairs before they could even get up. 

"These two are out like lights," Jane said. "Garrus, Kaidan, head down there and give us eyes on the colony." 

"Yes, ma'am," the two said before heading down. 

"How many colonists so far?" John asked taking stock before there was the sound of gun fire coming from where Kaidan and Garrus had just gone. The colonists were inside the doorway, turning the hallway into a kill zone. It was a perfect trap and Jane had just sent Garrus and Kaidan right into it. Jane felt time slow as she saw a bright flash of red blood. Kaidan was going down, his barrier collapsed and his armor broken through. At the doorway a large hoard of creepers began to rush in. Garrus and Kaidan were pinned down and cut off. 

"Jane!" John's voice never registered as Jane vaulted down the steps, somehow keeping her balance as she threw blindly. Two of the creepers were rushing Kaidan, he had been trying to throw them when he spun from the impact of the shot making it through his armor. Garrus had yanked Kaidan to the far side of the stairs and was aiming at the approaching creepers. They were pinned! Her throw caught a couple of the creepers, sending them back into the colonists. Jane raced to Garrus and Kaidan, covered in a barrier like a human shield. She was at Kaidan's side immediately, ignoring the approaching hoard.

“Shit!” John cried, his rifle overheating. They couldn’t keep the creepers back and the colonists were still firing on the team at the base.

"Talk to me, Kaidan," Jane demanded. Knowing that fear was in her voice, she hated fear, but please, God, don't let Kaidan have taken a fatal shot. Kaidan blinked up at her, red staining his shoulder. Too high for lung or heart, just painful. 

"It's just muscle and bone. I'll live Ja-Commander," Kaidan stated and Jane felt tears in her eyes as she pulled the medi-gel kit from his pouch and began applying it. Her barrier was flickering, she couldn't keep holding it up for much longer, but she would patch him up before she let it drop. 

“More creepers!” Ash cried out, her own assault rifle overheat discharging by her feet, her sniper rifle in her hands as she desperately tried to keep them back. Creepers were rushing up the stairs, cutting the team off from the three below. “They must have set this trap up almost as soon as we left!”

“I can’t get a singularity in the door way!” Liara cried out, firing her own pistol desperately. Jane, Kaidan and Garrus trapped at the bottom, the others cut off above. The three below would die if the rest of them above them couldn’t keep the creepers back. 

John’s adrenalin kicked into high gear.

Snap decision.

“Wrex follow me, the rest of you cover Jane and the others. Work your way to them!” John ordered. He grabbed the edge of the concrete divider and leaped. Liara screamed his name as Wrex let out a laugh of joy.

-then John was falling, yanking his shotgun to bare, over clocking his shield generator. He slammed feet first onto a creeper, turning it to pulp. His shields were screaming in his ears warning him they were down. He didn’t care, his sister was at his back vulnerable. John would kill every mother fucker trying to get to her and his men. He didn’t even notice Wrex slamming down behind him. Then it was a nightmare of creeper green blood, shotgun rounds to the face, smashing fists into soft creeper throats, break necks, blowing off heads, tossing gas grenades at colonists, fists hitting noses, knocking them out with broken noses, then-

It was over. John was breathing heavily, his armor covered in Thorian creeper gunk, his legs ached from a two story fall dulled by his shields. Wrex threw his head back and roared a Krogan victory cry. The colonists were all unconscious and the ambush was over.

"The medi-gel is going to keep you alive, but we need to get you to the Normandy now. Tali!" Jane barked and the Quarian appeared. Jane cupped Kaidan’s face.

"We are going to distract the colonists and you are going to hack the ship. It's a tube that leads straight to those stairs. Get inside that ship, turn it into a corridor so if anyone is in there you lock them in their rooms. You contact the Normandy and ask for a retrieval team. You help Kaidan get back to the ship and to Dr. Chakwas with the retrieval team," Jane explained. She jumped to her feet and whirled to face John.

"Jane..." John said in a warning tone and Jane snatched her sniper rifle from her back.

"We use the old sniper technique we developed in N7 academy," Jane snapped and John paused. 

"The rest of the team doesn't know that," John stated and Jane glared at him for a moment before conceding his point.

"Snipers on the ship, we fire and drop down, I shield us, you throw grenades from the side," Jane snapped to the rest of the team. Her jaw tightened as Tali helped Kaidan put his arm around her shoulders. 

"Ash, Wrex, Liara, and I will take the long way around the ship, Tali, when you hear the retrieval team give that it is in position and the gunfire dies down, you get Kaidan to medical," John said. 

"Why am I not on the roof?" Ash asked as Jane grabbed Garrus, helping him to his feet. She quietly asked if he was good to go to which the Turian gave a thumbs up. 

"I can only shield two of us perfectly and you know Alliance methods John might use," Jane said, turning to the Chief. The groups split up and Jane quickly scaled the freighter with Garrus at her side. They were at the top and Jane kept low until she saw John's group engaging the creepers. She threw a grenade at the colonists that were set up in another kill zone. Tali used the distraction to hurry Kaidan behind them. 

"Those creepers have to be controlled by that Thorian," Garrus muttered as they dropped to their stomachs and crawled. At the edge they began using their non-fatal rounds to keep the colonists pinned, Jane's shield protecting them from the very fatal colonist fire. 

"I can't throw from this position," Jane growled.

"Doesn't matter, Wrex is clearing the way," Garrus stated as they watched the Krogan plow a path through the creepers. As the colonists started to aim, Garrus and Jane popped back up in time to let the remaining team set their grenades off. 

"Get down first, I'll keep an eye out," Jane said as John and the others cleared the area for anymore threats. 

"All alive," John called. Jane was about to drop when she saw a form moving towards where the team was gathered. John was working to lift part of the freighter. It was Fai Dan. Jane crept towards the edge, out of Fai Dan's line of sight. 

"I tried to fight it, but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain," Fai Dan stated as he approached, drawing John’s attention. "I was supposed to be a leader. These people trusted me." Fai Dan drew his gun and Jane began to run. "It wants me to stop you...but I...I won't." Jane was in the air and the butt of her gun ready. Fai Dan was turning the gun towards his own head when Jane landed, slamming the butt of her rifle into his face, knocking him cold. The gun fell. 

"You could have taken his head off with a shot," John said approving of his sister’s methods and Jane nodded as she kicked the gun away.

"If I didn't try he would have taken it off himself," she said before looking at the stairs under the freighter. She looked at John and he nodded at her. The two commanders descended next to each other. They went down into the deep structure and as they rounded a corner the Shepard twins slowed and stared.

"All right, we just need to find this creature and determine what it...what it...This was not covered by my training manuals," Garrus stated as he took in the massive plant...creature...thing...Thorian. 

"That does not look like any plant I've ever seen," John stated and Jane looked at the creature. 

"This may be...problematic," she muttered as she stared at the massive plant which looked too insect-like to her after their Rachni experiences. They approached the massive creature and it began to move. For a moment it looked like it was vomiting until a green Asari dropped from its...mouth? Jane hoped it was a mouth. 

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren you are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" the Asari spoke and Jane felt this might be one of those conversations that needed to be in a book about weird shit they went through. 

"You gave something to Saren, something we need," John said.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!" the Asari cried and Jane glared. 

"I won't let you keep your thralls. Release them. Now!" Jane snarled.

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long," the Asari cried. "Your blood will feed the ground and the new growth!" Her hand moved to lift her weapon and Jane pushed her. The Asari flew backwards off the edge of the platform, falling into the pit below the Thorian. Creepers began to groan around the group.

"Did you have to throw her into the pit?" John asked. 

"What part of ‘your blood will feed the ground’ sounded like the start of a negotiation to you?" Jane shot back as she threw two creepers into the wall making them explode. "I think we can do the same with the Thorian." 

"Drop it in the pit?" John asked and Jane nodded. "It does look big and heavy enough. It looks like there are only a few tendrils holding it up." 

"I’m going to make this thing pay for what it’s done to the colony and us. These creepers are clearly part of the Thorian," Jane snarled. John grunted in understanding. He blamed it too for Kaidan and the colonists.

"At least these Thorian creepers are easy to squish," Wrex laughed as he ran into one smashing it into a wall. Jane grimaced at the slime on Wrex's armor and crest, at least the Krogan was happy. 

The team hurried through the first door. There was a giant, pulsating node connected to the Thorian and the room was filled with dozens of creepers.

“John and Ash destroy the nodes, everyone else focus on the creepers.” Jane ordered. It was quick work to take out the node with the creepers occupied. As the node was popped for lack of a better work, the Thorian’s tendril separated from it. The Thorian let out a wheezing scream and the whole area shook.

“Oh that had to hurt it!” John exclaimed, smirking. Jane nodded leading them deeper into the structure around the Thorian. The next node was up a ramp leading to a landing past dormant creepers. Working in sync without even saying anything the team quickly wiped the dormant creepers before turning their fire on the node. Again it burst and again the Thorian screamed.

“Shit Asari clone!” John snapped, seeing the clone come hurrying into the room before them.

“I don’t have time for this bullshit!” Jane snapped. She gestured at the clone and it went flying over the edge in a biotic throw. It screamed in defiant rage as it fell to its death. 

They moved from room to room, destroying dormant and active creepers, separating nodes and flinging clones to a death by gravity. Then the Thorian could no longer hold itself. Grunting and wheezing the ancient creature fell to its own death.

Jane and John shared a look as they stared over the ledge. Shepards never gave up. And they never forgave.

~*~*~

As the group was leaving a small node on the wall near the entrance began to make noises and Jane whipped around to see a normal looking Asari drop to the floor. She looked dazed as she stood up and Jane lowered her weapon, but kept her finger on the trigger, just in case. 

"I'm free. I...I suppose I should thank you for releasing me," she said looking at the group. John stepped forward, ever the hero for blue damsels in distress, Jane mused.

"Is everything all right? Are you hurt?" he asked. 

"I am fine. Or I will be, in time. My name is Shiala. I serve...I served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way," Shiala said. "Benezia underestimated Saren. As I did. We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of his influence is troubling." 

"My mother spoke of this," Liara stated and Shiala blinked in recognition. 

"We...were forced to kill Matriarch Benezia," Jane said. "She mentioned something about Saren's ship." 

"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers," Shiala confirmed and Jane shot a look at John. That was a similar story to Benezia's. "They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks. But in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the Thorian, to learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian." 

"Saren's pretty quick to betray his own people," Jane stated. 

"He was quick to betray the Thorian, too. After he had what he wanted, he ordered the Geth to destroy all evidence of its existence. Saren knows you are searching for the Conduit. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher," Shiala said, looking at Jane.

"What's the Cipher? And why did Saren need it?" John asked, but Shiala kept looking at Jane. Jane wondered why Asari always had to give her looks. Thank God Liara was looking at John. 

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But the visions are unclear, confusion. They were meant for a Prothean mind," Shiala said and Jane suddenly realized why her vision seemed so difficult to understand, it was meant for a mind of a species long extinct. "To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it." 

"So the Thorian taught Saren to think like a Prothean? How?" Jane asked.

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing the color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory, the Cipher, when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught; it simply exists," Shiala explained and Jane started to get a feeling she was not going to like what was coming. 

"We need that knowledge to stop Saren," John grunted. “Isn’t there some way for us to understand?”

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren," she said, making eye contact with Jane. "You were the one who accessed the beacon, it must be you." Jane stared for a moment. To share minds was very intimate for Asari and while it would be useful, Jane wasn't sure she wanted to try something that was close to Asari sex. Of course, to beat Saren, she needed to know understand the vision. So she sighed and stepped forward. 

"Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another," Shiala said as she approached and Jane did as she was told with deep, slow breathing. "Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander. Embrace eternity!" 

Jane saw the vision again. The death destruction, the people being destroyed before they could mount a counterattack. The organic being turned by force into the synthetic. War that resulted in annihilation. A binary star system with a planet with a single moon. The approach of Sovereign. Jane opened her eyes to look at Shiala. Shiala gave Jane a look plagued by deep thought.

"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now," Shiala said and Jane wiped her forehead. 

"What happened? Are you okay?" Garrus asked. 

"I saw the vision. It still isn't making sense," Jane said. 

"You have been given a great gift: the experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information," Shiala explained. 

"You look a little queasy. We should get you back to the ship," Ash said.

"I am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon. You have the Cipher, in time, your visions will clear. They will lead you to the Conduit. I only pray you find it before Saren does," Shiala said. 

"Now that you're free of the Thorian, what are you planning to do next?" John asked. 

"If you allow it, I would like to stay here with the colonists. They have suffered greatly, and I played a role in their suffering. I would like to make amends," she said. 

"The colonists will need all the help they can get. They'll be happy to have you on their side," Jane said.

"Thank you, Commander. May fortune smile upon you," Shiala added. 

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 18th, 2183 CE  
Location: Normandy leaving Feros atmosphere en route to Attican Beta Mass Relay 

Jane entered the infirmary before the debriefing, Kaidan was laying on one of the cots in his uniform. He grinned as she entered. 

"Hey Commander," he said.

"How are you doing, Kaidan?" she asked and he sat up a bit. 

"I'm in one piece. Dr. Chakwas fixed me up, she made sure my shoulder is as good as new. Sorry I missed out on the Thorian," he said and Jane shook her head, her hand hovering over his arm. The fact she was still in her gear was the only reason she wasn't touching him...making sure he was still there. 

"No Kaidan, I'm sorry. I should have see that it was a kill zone. I would have set it up just the same and I didn't see it!" Jane said, keeping her eyes on his shoulder, she couldn't see the wound. 

"I'm fine," he said and Jane looked up at him. 

"I failed you, Kaidan, it won't happen again," Jane said. "Get better." She quickly left medical to change and head back up for the debriefing. She took a seat and John stared at her.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," he said. 

"It's that damn Cipher! That Asari messed you up good! And for what? We still don't know here to find that stupid Conduit! What a waste!" Ash snarled and Jane could feel her exhaustion.

"She said it could take a while," John reminded. "Still I don't like seeing you like this, Baby Sister." 

"We need the Cipher. I'm not sure how, but it will lead us to the Conduit," Jane said.

"Commander? You do look pale are you sure you are not suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?" Liara asked and Jane wondered if she was. 

"The Cipher shook me up a bit," Jane said. 

"I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it," Liara suggested and Jane wondered if she was going to touch minds with two Asari in one day. She looked at John, he shrugged and Jane sighed. 

"Do it," Jane said as she stood up and Liara met her in the center of the room.

"Relax, Commander. Embrace eternity!" Liara said and the vision flew through Jane's skull again. "That was incredible! All this time. All my research. Yet I never dreamed...I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so...intense. You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind." 

"Hard to beat that kind of praise, huh Commander," Wrex grunted, elbowing John. 

"What did you see?" John coughed.

"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete," Liara stated and Jane's hopes sank. 

"You must have seen something," Jane said. 

"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there, at least. But something was missing. Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can...whoa!" Liara staggered. "I'm sorry. The joining is...exhausting. I should got to the medical bay and lie down for a moment." 

"We're done here. Dismissed." John said, waving a hand to dismiss the crew. 

~*~*~

“I've sent off the Feros report, Commanders. You want me to patch you through to the Council?” Joker asked. Jane nodded and John spoke up.

“Patch them through, Joker.”

“Setting up the link now, Commanders.” After a few moments the hologram system in the room lit up and a hologram of the councilors was standing before them.

“Commanders, I’m sorry ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job much easier.” Councilor Tevos said.

“You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it.” Valern mused and John shook his head as Jane fumed.

“The Thorian liked to enslave minds. Anyone who studied it would've ended up as one of its thralls.” John explained.

“Perhaps it's for the best, then. At least the colony was saved.” Councilor Tevos mused and Councilor Sparatus scoffed.

“Of course it was saved. I’m sure they would go to any lengths to help a human colony.”

“Being human had nothing to do with it. They were in trouble.” Jane snapped. 

“Admirable. But sometimes Spectres have to make sacrifices. I hope you're willing to do that when the time comes.” Councilor Valern cautioned them. John shot Jane a look and she bit her tongue.

“However the timing of you finishing your mission on Feros is most fortuitous. We received information that maybe critical to your mission against Saren.” Councilor Tevos revealed.

“We’ll take all the help we can get, Councilors,” John said eagerly.

“We’ve received information from one of our infiltration regiments in the ‘verse.” Councilor Valern explained. “This particular team was dedicated to finding information on Saren. Unfortunately the message was little more than static. They must be in a situation where they can’t send a proper interstellar communication. It was however sent on a channel reserved for mission critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren we thought you might want to investigate and find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire.”

“We’ll look right into Councilors.” John assured them and Jane grunted.

“The council prefers not to know the specifics of Spectre activity. We only wanted you to be aware of all your options Commanders.” Councilor Tevos assured them. “Good luck Commanders.”

“I think I’m going to go have a shower or blow off some steam.” Jane grumbled after the signal cut out. John sighed.

“I’ll do the same after I tell Joker our new course and clean my armor up.”

~*~*~

When John headed down to the cargo bay he saw Jane doing her Asari biotic training thing. He headed for where he had left his armor on the table maintenance table and blinked in surprise to see it already clean. Ash grinned at him and gave him a mock salute.

“Figured you were on your way to do that sir,” she teased and John laughed. 

“Thanks Chief, I appreciate that.” John told her warmly. Ash blushed and focused back on her rifle, beginning to scrub away at a firing pin. After John set his armor by the elevator he turned to his sister who had her eyes closed in concentration as she biotically lifted a twenty five pound weight above her hand. 

“Want to talk, sis?” he asked quietly as he approached. Jane sighed and the weight floated back to the rack and stored itself.

"It was my fault Kaidan got hurt, John, it's my fault and I should have known better. I would have set a trap up the same damn way!" Jane said as she turned away from her brother. "I put Garrus and Kaidan in danger. I lost focus and all I saw was them dying." 

"Yeah but you had me, Jane. We completed the mission, but you could have killed yourself when you dropped down those steps into open fire like that," John said. Jane kept her back to him, running a hand through her hair. 

"It was such a rookie mistake. I can't believe I did it," Jane confessed. 

"You’re not the only one to nearly kill a teammate," John reminded her gently.

"I don't like failing the people who put their trust in me," Jane bit back.

"You didn't fail Kaidan or Garrus. Garrus is fine and Kaidan will have a scar to show off to the ladies," John said and Jane winced. "Wait a second...this is more than just leadership concerns. Jane...don't tell me you're..." 

"Shut it, John, I wouldn't risk the chain of command like that," Jane said and John paused. 

"So all this time you were teasing me about Liara and here you were making doe eyes at the LT," John grinned. 

"Don't go there John," Jane warned. 

"No, no, I see. I'm pretty sure Kaidan will forgive you if you offer to nurse him to health, even if it’s only for twelve hours" John grinned and Jane glared at him.

"Not funny. I'm having a serious moment here and you're turning it into elementary school all over again," Jane said.

"I nearly got Tali killed and you took my head off. You're moping about Kaidan getting shot and I'm teasing you because I now know you have a crush on him. I can give him a note with 'Do you like me? Check yes or no.' I would have to put your name since our initials are the same." Jane glared at him and headed to the elevator. 

"You're not funny," she said and John grinned. 

"I beg to differ, I am hilarious and you will quote everything I say," John retorted and as he opened his mouth for another comment a biotic field quickly formed around him. The next moment he was flung from the elevator to slam into the ground across from it, making Wrex begin to laugh.

"I merged nervous systems with your blue girlfriend before you," Jane snapped before the elevator doors closed. John sat up and stared at the elevator as Jane ascended to the mid level. He smiled to himself. Jane was no longer angry at herself and now she was angry at him. In the thirty-six hours till Virmire all would be well.

"Wait what?" John cried out, suddenly realizing what his sister had said. 

~*Chapter End*~

Belle's Omake Note: The very first time I played Mass Effect I couldn't help but think the Asari mind meld thing was very much like brain rape, especially because you cannot avoid Shiala since she has the Cipher. Toby has found this little quirk of mine to be hilarious whenever we talk. For years we have been making jokes about Asari brain rape and now...my Omakes are a tribute to that

Omake 1: 

"The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions," Shiala said and Jane noticed the Asari was making deep eye contact. 

"Why are you giving me that look?" Jane asked. 

"But the visions are unclear, confusion. They were meant for a Prothean mind," Shiala explained moving towards Jane. 

"Yeah, I know, right, too bad all the Protheans are dead," Jane said slowly back away from Shiala's approach. 

"To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it," Shiala continued to advance, Jane trying to use the large platform to evade the creepy Asari. 

"So weird, right, that a plant could do that," Jane said. 

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing the color to a creature without eyes. To understand, you must have access to endemic ancestral memory," Shiala stated, her eyes moving up and down Jane's body. 

"Ha, too bad I don't have that," Jane said as her back hit a wall and she went rigid. 

"A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory, the Cipher, when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught; it simply exists. There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren," Shiala explained as she cornered Jane with a deep penetrating look. 

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren," Shiala said, making deep eye contact with Jane.

"Nah, I'm good," Jane said. 

"Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another," Shiala whispered. 

"No means no! No means no!" Jane chanted. 

"Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander. Embrace eternity!"

"NOOOOO!" Jane cried. 

~* Later *~

"Now Commander, where did the Asari touch you?" Joker asked, pointing to the doll as Jane sat curled up in the cockpit. 

"In my brain!" Jane wailed. 

"For the last time it was not brain rape!" John groaned.

Omake 2: 

"It's okay Jane, you're safe now," John cajoled as Jane sat curled up in the fetal position in her chair in the conference room.

"No means no...no means no..." Jane whimpered. 

"Commander? You do look pale are you sure you are not suffering any ill effects from the Cipher?" Liara asked but Jane kept rocking. 

"She'll be fine," John said. He was also wondering if he should call someone. Was there someone to call when you sister was freaking out about an Asari touching her brain?

“Is there any C-Sec department that handles people who claim they were touched by an Asari without consent?” John asked, turning to Garrus. The Turian shot him an incredulous look.

“When most Asari offer to touch minds with people they go running to the Asari with open arms,” Garrus explained. “Your sister is the first I’ve seen who freaks out over it.”

"I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it," Liara suggested and Jane's eyes shot up to look at Liara in horror.

"No need, I should be able to figure it out myself," Jane tried to say but it came out more of an intelligible groan. Liara got up and grabbed Jane's head. 

"Relax, Commander. Embrace eternity!" Liara said. "That was incredible! All this time. All my research. Yet I never dreamed...I'm sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so...intense. You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you've been through, what you've seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind." 

Jane lay on the ground drooling. 

"The beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the commander's mind is incomplete," Liara sighed and Jane's hopes sank. 

"You must have seen something," John said. He was also ignoring his sister. He seemed to still be sore about being thrown from elevators when she was angry.

"I was able to interpret the data relayed through your vision. What was there at least. But something was missing. Saren must have the missing information. Maybe he found another beacon. If we can find the missing data from your vision I can...whoa!" Liara staggered. "I'm sorry. The joining is...exhausting. I should got to the medical bay and lie down for a moment...maybe have a cigarette." Jane whimpered as Liara passed by with the others.

"Stop being a drama queen, Jane, you got to hit that Asari brain before me," John pouted. 

"She touched me in the brain," Jane sobbed.

Omake 3: (Toby’s note: Cause Belle is so not looking at this the right way.)

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren," Shiala said, making deep eye contact with Jane.

"Nah, I'm good," Jane said. 

"Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another," Shiala whispered. 

"No means no! No means no!" Jane chanted. 

Before anything could happen an old Earth song began to play.

“Tonight's the night we're gonna make it happen  
Tonight we'll put all other things aside  
Give in this time and show me some affection  
We're going for those pleasures in the night”

Jane and all the other woman turned to the right. The men were all standing around, watching with wide grins. Wrex was munching on popcorn he’d gotten from somewhere. Garrus had his Omni-tool on which was playing the song. The worst was John, who was wearing a ball cap with the words ‘SSV Normandy’ on it while he was holding a large, professional film camera. With a wide angle lens.

“Don’t mind us ladies,” John grinned. “Just do what comes natural.” Shiala shrugged before turning back to Jane.

"Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander. Embrace eternity!"

"NOOOOO!" Jane cried. “John you fucking pervert help meeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Are you kidding? With the royalties we’ll make off this we can buy our own fleet to kill the Reapers!”

~* Later *~

"I might be able to help you. I am an expert on the Protheans. If I join my consciousness to yours maybe we can make some sense of it," Liara suggested and Jane's eyes shot up to look at Liara in horror.

"No need, I should be able to figure it out myself," Jane tried to say but before she could that damnable music started up again.

“I'm so excited and I just can't hide it  
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it  
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it  
And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know I want you!”

“The commander was right this is awesome!” Kaidan exclaimed, running the camera and wearing the hat this time. John and Garrus had note pads in their hands and Wrex had popcorn, again.

“You think Liara has to work harder or is it easier for her at her age?”

“Why do you think we’re taking notes?”

"Relax, Commander. Embrace eternity!" Liara said. 

“Damn you meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!”

~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby’s Author note: Well Belle has started posting this on Archive of Our Own as well. It’s a massive chapter but things have been kind of busy for me and Belle this year. Court, lease termination, job hunting, moving for both of us, it’s just ugh.
> 
> Now I had us put viewer responses at the end of the last chapter but with AO3’s response system that’s not really fair to the FFN people so we’re not going to do that anymore. Plus it adds unnecessary words and this chapter is already over 20,000 words per Word’s counter. Yeesh. So we’ll give general statements and thank the people individually on AO3. FFN people we’re sorry but until they update their ad infested site to current standards we can’t respond individually. I’m starting to like AO3, I might get an account there myself soon. Though Belle will continue to post Twin Fates.
> 
> So plus side news. Chapter 8 is being written, 9 is fleshed out and 10 is almost finished. How is that? 10 starts the ME2 arc, spoilers! *sticks out his tongue at them*
> 
> *Belle smacks Toby upside the head*
> 
> Ow!
> 
> Belle: Hey, it's fair! You post on FFN and I got AO3. We are CO-authors. 
> 
> Toby: …anyways we’re hoping, I repeat hoping, to release 8 thru 11 before the end of summer. But no promises. We’re gonna try as we both feel really bad about the wait you folks have had while our personal lives came along and slapped us both in the face. Anyways, next chapter is Virmire! I can’t wait for you to see who dies! It’s so not who you think! *begins to cackle evilly*
> 
> Belle: Yeah, ignore that, he does that sometimes. 
> 
> Toby: Till next time folks!


	9. The Choices We Can (Or Cannot) Live With

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Normandy crew arrives on Virmire to realize that they were supposed to be a fleet. With two Shepards characters are split up. The bomb, Kirrahe's team, and the salarian prisoners, things begin to change. Saren has the Shepards where he wants them and he plans to bring down the enemy count one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Toby’s Note: A lot of the comments we’ve been receiving lately are about Virmire and the anticipation you’ve had leading up to this point. Without spoiling anything I can honestly say this chapter and the next are some that I personally have been looking forward to since we started this fanfic together. I hope you guys enjoy it and fair warning as you read this. Any person, and I mean ANY person, in our fanfic can die because of one simple thing. There are two Shepards now. That doesn’t always work out for the best.
> 
> Belle's Note: This chapter is the accumulation of hours of discussion and deep debate.

Chapter 8: The Choices We Can (Or Cannot) Live With

Earth Date: July 19th, 2183 CE  
Location: In route to Sentry Omega, Hoc System

Jane rolled her head on her neck as she headed down to bed. Tomorrow they would hit Virmire, Jane's eyes moved to Kaidan before she slowed. Bed or Kaidan...Kaidan won. She approached him. 

"We haven't had time together since our last chat, a lot was said," Kaidan said, giving her a slight smile. It made Jane's heart jump.

"You seemed decisive then, Lieutenant, why so hesitant now?" Jane teased, doing her best to meet his eyes. 

"I...don't want to distract you too much. The deeper we get into this mess the bigger it seems," he said. He was serious as he looked at her and it made her feel the pressure of what a relationship with Kaidan would be like. She liked it. "I'm just looking for an ear." Jane's heart started to plummet, had she been reading Kaidan wrong this whole time? "Seems like every other race in the galaxy is wrapped up in their own problems, they don't want to see what's coming." Jane felt immediate relief. He was talking about Ferros and not about them. 

"Wanting to believe that everything'll be fine? Sounds like human nature to me," Jane said and Kaidan nodded. 

"Yeah...I guess some things carry across species well enough, I should remember that after what happened with Vyrnnus," Kaidan said and Jane blinked at his tone. 

"I'd think you'd carry a grudge over the crap you took from Vyrnnus," Jane confessed. 

"Before I met Vyrnnus, I knew as much as any other civilian, aliens were weird. Superior and tried to tell us what to do. I mean it's only been twenty-six years since first contact, that's not a lot of time to understand them. But it was Vyrnnus who made me see how human aliens are," Kaidan explained. Jane watched as his eyes took on the look of being somewhere else, in his memories. "They're not different or special. They're jerks and saints just like us. Hell, by the time I got payback, I didn't even want it anymore." He looked at her with serious eyes and Jane blinked, Kaidan didn't seem like the type for revenge. 

"I don't see you snapping very easily. What finely did it?" Jane asked. Kaidan paused, looking at her. He sighed before he looked down and then looked back up at her again. 

"He hurt Rahna. Broke her arm. She reached for a glass of water instead of pulling it biotically," Kaidan explained and Jane winced. Turian training practices were vicious, she couldn't imagine what Kaidan and the other students in BAaT went through, her asari instructors had come with the 'patience of the Goddess' mentality. When students couldn't do something, it was practiced again and again but with kindness and gentleness. Jane had excelled under asari tutelage, while Kaidan was powerful, had his training carved a different strength in his biotics? "She just wanted a drink without getting a nosebleed. You know?" Jane smiled, her first real venture into biotics had resulted in her bleeding from the eyes. She knew about wanting to use her powers without side effects. "Like an idiot, I stood up. Didn't know what I was gonna do, just something." He looked at her and Jane suspected what happened was not good. 

"And Vyrnnus lost it, beat the crap out of me. Kept shouting about how they should've bombed us back to the stone age and that's when the knife came up. A military issued talon. Right in my face," Kaidan explained and Jane felt her face go white. A human child confronted by a turian mercenary with that kind of weaponry. It should have been all over the news, Jane felt sick knowing that it probably didn't go that way. "I cut loose. Full biotic kick right in the teeth. Almost as strong as I can manage now. At seventeen that's something." Jane blinked at that, she knew what she did on Mindoir as a teen had been impressive, as she got older she understood that more and more, Kaidan apparently knew a thing or two about unlocking talent early too. 

"You wanted to help a girl you cared for. That's a noble thing," Jane said, he must have been like a white knight to Rahna. 

"Maybe my intentions were noble but I...I lost control. I killed him, Shepard," Kaidan confessed and Jane kept still. Kaidan killed his instructor at seventeen, Jane had killed several of the slavers that had decimated her colony at sixteen but Kaidan clearly was still bothered by what he had done to Vyrnnus. "Snapped his neck. They probably could have saved him if they got him to an infirmary quick enough but they didn't. Caused a stir when they shipped him home. BAaT training was shut down. Conatix folded a couple of years later. It's funny," he said. "I'm not sure which of us got the worst of what happened."

"Was Rahna alright?" Jane asked, Kaidan looked morose, this particular story did not have a happy ending.

"Rahna...yeah. She was fine. We...uh...never really...we stopped talking after that," he said. Jane blinked. She couldn't imagine not talking to the boy who tried to protect her, then again, she and John had protected each other with savage desperation...it had worked, but the effort she had used had nearly killed her. 

"Tell me what happened?" Jane asked and he stared at her. 

"Rahna had a gentle heart. She loved everyone. Vyrnnus terrified her, we all protected her from him. Everyone...everyone loved her. But after what I did to him she was terrified of me too," he explained and Jane's heart ached for Kaidan. To see someone turn their love to hate...it had to have been very painful for a seventeen year old boy to accept the first sentient life he ended and the girl he did it for turning on him. "Anyway this is...I had a point here. Alien are individuals just because one's an ass doesn't mean they all are. So yeah, I hated that turian...but he wasn't a turian to me. He was Vyrnnus." Jane felt respect for Kaidan. She had a problem with Batarians, she couldn't lie about that. She couldn't forget them on Mindoir, but...she knew she needed to stop lumping them together. She needed to be more like Kaidan. 

"So that's why you're so self-controlled," Jane muttered, he was a better person than she was because like her, he had had some tough lessons too. 

"I'm no more disciplined than any other biotic, Shepard, this is all ancient history, I'm over it," he said and Jane looked at him. It wasn't though, she could still see the ghost of Rahna and Vyrnnus haunting Kaidan's eyes. 

"You agonize over doing the right thing and never let yourself lose control...because Rahna spurned you after Vyrnnus died," Jane said, realizing it was a harsh truth only after it slipped past her lips. She looked at him and he blinked.

"That's...al-alright, maybe you have a point, maybe. But I'm okay. You don't have to worry about me," he said and Jane fought a smile. She did worry about Kaidan, more than a Commander should. "Fully functional human being, and I won't be a burden on you...on the crew." Jane looked at him.

"Kaidan, you're a strong man, talking about this doesn't make you a whiner and it doesn't make you immature. It makes you human," Jane said, it actually made Jane love...like him more knowing he reflected on his past in such an honorable way. He stared at her for a second.

"Alright, but it's embarrassing that you had to tell me that," he said. "You're right. I might need to loosen up a little. I'll try." He paused for a second to give her a look. "Glad you'll be here when it's over Shepard. I'm...uh...I'm looking forward to some shore leave." His eyes smoldered just slightly and Jane smiled at him, looking to the side.

"We'll talk more later..." she said as she turned to leave before giving him a look over her shoulder. He smiled at her and she felt her blush. She was going to need a cold shower before bed now.

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 20th, 2183 CE  
Location: Sentry Omega, Hoc System, Entering orbit of the Plant Virmire

"Commander, I’m reading a signal,” Joker reported over the comms as the team loaded into the Mako. John frowned as he strapped himself into the driver’s seat. “Must be our Salarian infiltration team.”

“If we can read them Saren must be able to too.” Jane commented as she finished closing the Mako’s hatch. John nodded in agreement. As Joker entered the atmosphere he checked the sensor readings. 

“I’m seeing defense towers around the area where the signal is coming from, anti-air towers to be specific,” John called back. “How the hell did Saren get AA guns built way the hell out here?”

“The same way he got a secret base built John,” Jane stated checking the Mako’s turret settings. “Criminals and a shit load of money.”

“I’ve got a clear landing site just a few clicks from the towers and it’s just out of range, Commanders.” Joker informed them. John nodded and jabbed the button to unlock the Mako from the cargo deck.

“Drop the Mako, Joker,” John ordered. “We’ll go in hot and take them out.” Now that the Mako was using its own Mass Effect fields to hold it down the team all felt a sudden increase in pressure as the Normandy banked hard and accelerated down. 

“I’ll get you underneath their radar, Commander,” Joker replied. The cargo bay door open and the Mako’s field shut off as Joker banked and the Mako was dropped out as the Normandy banked and then turned away sharply as they dropped. The Mako slammed into the ground and skidded in the beach spray for a few meters. 

“Clean drop, Commander,” Joker reported and John could help but grin before replying.

“Well done Joker, now stay out of range and use evasive maneuvers until we bring down those AA towers.” John said, yanking back on the gear shift and stomping on the accelerator. The Mako shot forward, kicking up surf and sand as they headed for the first tower. 

“I know the drill. Meet you at the camp once those towers are off-line. Joker out.” The pilot responded and the comms cut out.

~*~*~

The gates were pains in the ass. Apparently Saren was no slouch when it came to protecting his secret bases. Jane was popping out of the top of the Mako to knock out optics before Wrex used the Mako's cannons to take out the Geth themselves before the team was forced to open the gates. Jane paused as she looked at the giant creatures walking in the surf undisturbed by the presence of gunfire and the Mako. 

"What?" John asked as he looked at the creatures. 

"I was thinking what they would be better for," Jane stated and he stared at her. 

"Well, I bet we could race them like we did the Hornchins back home," Jane stated and John laughed as he climbed into the Mako. 

"Seriously, we're going to take down Saren and you're thinking about racing some of the slowest looking creatures?" he asked.

"Why not, I bet I'd win," Jane stated and John snickered as the team climbed in. 

"Yeah because you're a good fifty pounds lighter at least," John chuckled and Jane nodded. "What else did you think they'd be good for?" he asked and Jane smirked.

"I wondered if they tasted like crab," Jane replied and John laughed harder. 

"Those things?" Kaidan asked and Jane nodded. 

"Maybe," Ash stated. "Thinking about making a claim on the planet for that purpose?"

"You can always tell when someone is raised on a colony," Garrus stated and the group gave him a look as they strapped in. "They always wonder if something is edible." Jane chuckled as she slapped John's armor and they moved through the gate. 

"How many more gates do you think?" Liara asked and Jane shook her head. 

"Saren's no fool, there is going to be more than gates," she said. 

After they took out the armature, Jane was glad they had the Mako.

~*~*~

John slowed the Mako to a stop as they approached the makeshift field base. Kaidan was at the back hatch and popped it open, allowing the team to file out. John was the last out and he saw Jane heading for the Salarian who appeared to be in charge with Ash and Kaidan following. He signaled to the others to spread out and wait for orders before he jogged to catch up. He noticed Wrex following him, seemingly bored.

“So what are we supposed to do now?” Ashley snarked to the Captain and John frowned. 

“Stay put until we can come up with a plan,” the Salarian, a Captain if John remember his STG primer correctly, said.

“I’m Commander Jane Shepard and this is Commander John Shepard,” Jane replied, gesturing to her brother. “The Council sent us here to investigate after receiving your message." 

“Commanders, I’m Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment STG. You and your crew have just landed in a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence, apparently repeating our task on the Council’s orders.” Captain Kirrahe huffed. “I asked for a fleet of reinforcements, not another investigation squad.”

“Oh that’s beautiful,” John muttered and Jane sighed. 

“What can you tell us about the situation then Captain?” Jane asked and Kirrahe sighed in resignation. 

“We’ve confirmed that this is Saren’s base of operations, more specifically a research facility but it’s crawling with Geth and very well fortified.” 

“Researching what?” John asked and he frowned when he saw Kirrahe glance at Wrex.

“He using the facility to breed an army of Krogan.” He explained and John blinked, hard. He heard Jane suck in a breath from his left but Wrex moved past him on his right, his interest peaked.

“How is that possible?” Wrex growled. 

“Apparently Saren has discovered a cure for the genophage.” Kirrahe explained, reluctantly. 

“The Geth are bad enough but a Krogan army? He’d be almost unstoppable.” Jane exclaimed. Wrex growled at that and John felt his adrenalin spike. This was getting out of hand, fast. 

“Exactly my thoughts. We must destroy this facility and make sure its secrets are destroyed.” Kirrahe declared. 

“Destroyed? I don’t think so,” Wrex snapped. “Our people are dying. This cure can save them.”

“If that cure leaves this planet, the Krogan will become unstoppable. We can’t make same mistake again.” Kirrahe retorted and Wrex stomped up to the Salarian captain to jab a finger at him.

“We are not a mistake!” Wrex snapped before storming down the beach. They watched him go for a moment before Kirrahe spoke up again.

“Is he going to be a problem? We have enough angry Korgan to deal with as it is.” Kirrahe commented. 

“He’ll be fine, we’ll go talk to him in a minute.” Jane said and Kirrahe sighed in relief.

“I’d appreciate that Commander.” Kirrahe said. “My men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us some time?”

“Go ahead Captain, we’ll be back soon.” John said and led the others off a short way. There was loud gun shot and they all turned to see Wrex taking shots at a boulder in the waves down the beach.

“Look likes things are bit of a mess,” Kaiden commented. John grunted in agreement.

“Yeah I wouldn’t be so worried if it wasn’t for Wrex. He looks like he’s going to blow a gasket.” Ash commented.

“I get where he’s coming from though, this could be the only chance to save his people too. Still it explains that news report I heard about Binary Helix getting sued by some Krogan investors who asked them to cure the genophage.” Jane remarked.

“I remember that one, you’re right it does make more sense. Since Saren is a big investor in Binary Helix he probably heard about it and moved everything here and cut them out.” John commented. “Once of us should go talk to him.”

“It couldn’t hurt,” Ash commented but then seemed rethink that statement. “Well, it might, actually. Just before careful whoever does.”

~*~*~

"So..." John started.

"You should be the one to talk to him," Jane said, cutting him off and he chuckled. Apparently John had been thinking the same thing.

"Not a second of hesitation?" John asked and Jane gave him a look.

"While he respects us both, you and he charge in together. You work the front together, that puts a special trust between the two of you and you know it. While we have both gone to talk to him and hear about his adventures, we both know how much trust is built between two people who put their trust in the person to their side," she said and John nodded. He patted her head and she punched his shoulder.

"I'll keep the camp, if you can't do it, I'll watch your six," Jane said and John nodded before jogging off after their friend. Sometimes having a twin who could lift a Krogan into the air was comforting. 

~*~*~

“This isn’t right, Shepard. If there’s a cure for the Genophage we can’t destroy it.” Wrex snarled before turning to John as he approached. John sighed and came to stop a few feet from his friend.

“I know you’re upset Wrex but the one you need to focus your anger on is Saren. He’s just using this cure to manipulate the Krogan he has working for him.” John explained and Wrex scowled. 

“Really, you expect me to buy that? Saren has a cure for my people, you want to destroy it.” Wrex snapped, gesturing between them with a hand. “Help me out here John, the lines between friend and foe are starting to blur.” 

~*~*~

Jane watched carefully from the camp. Her eyes trained on Wrex's body, looking for the second he got too tense or made a move that could end John. 

"Wrex is pissed," Ash said from Jane's side and she nodded, eyes locked on the Krogan’s form. 

"He has every right," Jane said. 

"Should we be ready to stop him?" Ash asked, a hand moving to her back. 

"Stand down, Chief," Jane ordered and Ash turned to look at Jane in shock.

"You're brother is..." Ash stared and Jane turned her killing glare at Ash.

"My brother is trying to keep our teammate on our team," Jane said.

"He's a Krogan," Ash spat and Jane glared, to Ash's credit, she didn't flinch. 

"Wrex is a part of this team, being a Krogan doesn't matter," Jane said and Ash scoffed. 

"He's an alien," Ash said and Jane’s glare sharpened.

"Being an alien doesn't matter," Jane said, returning her eyes to Wrex.

"You can't stand Batarians," Ash hissed and Jane fought the urge to wince. Aiding Garrus in his quest for justice and the encounter with Balak had exposed Jane to her own xenophobic tendencies. Hell, the talk with Kaidan on the way here reminded her that she was not without glaring flaws. 

"My problem is with slavers and with the Hegemony, not with aliens," Jane stated. "Now, stand down Chief, that’s an order." Ash glared before looking towards John and Wrex. 

~*~*~

“Wrex, he’s not using this cure to help the Krogan, he’s using it as a weapon!” John retorted, “No one is going to benefit from this, Saren will have an army of Krogan, born in labs and raised to serve him. No Krogan alive now will be cured, only those he makes loyal to himself will be cured.”

“Then we should take it for ourselves, take the chance that he’ll raise his army! We shouldn’t destroy this base we need to preserve it!” Wrex roared. “This is the fate of my species we’re talking about here!” He stomped closer to John and glared at him. “I’ve been loyal to you this entire mission, hell, you and your sister have done more for me than my family ever did! But if I’m going to keep following you I need to know we’re doing it for the right reasons!” To emphasize his point Wrex drew his shotgun and sighted on John. John didn’t draw any of his weapons however. Jane said she had his six, Jane always kept her word. 

“Wrex these Krogan are not your people, they’re Saren’s slaves and clones. Is that what you want the Krogan to be now? Puppets for a madman?” John tried to reason with his angry friend. Wrex stared at him for a moment before slowly relaxing, slipping his shotgun back to its spot on his armor.

“No, we were puppets for the Council once, I doubt Saren would be a step up from that.” Wrex growled. They were silent for a moment each man considering the situation they had just been in. A friendship that had almost ended in bloodshed.

“You’ve made you point John, I’ll continue to follow you. Just make sure you take me with you when we kill this shit slinging pyjack. I want his head on a pike.” Wrex grumbled before stomping off. John sighed as Jane made her way to him after saying something to Ash. 

“We all do my friend.”

Jane watched Wrex go and the two stared after him for a moment. 

"So, what were you preparing to do when he drew that shotgun?" John asked and Jane lifted John for a moment. 

"My plan was to shield you, pull you to me, lift Wrex, and then use extreme prejudice with my rifle at close range to his eyes and chest," Jane stated and John nodded.

"Did you think that would stop him?" John asked. 

"I was betting on you joining the negotiations with your assault rifle when you landed and before Wrex did," Jane stated. 

"Of course, I have to protect my baby sister," John said.

"By fourteen minutes, also if we weren't about to assault a fortress filled with genetically modified Krogan, I would be throwing you into the surf right now," Jane stated as they headed back to the camp.

"You wouldn't be so tough if you didn't have biotics," John teased and Jane smirked. 

"Thank God you didn't get the biotics or you'd never stop rushing into danger," Jane replied.

~*~*~

“Thank you for speaking with the Krogan.” Captain Kirrahe said, relief obvious in his voice, “The assault on Saren’s base will be difficult enough as it is.”

“I guess that means you’ve come up with a plan then?” Jane quipped and Kirrahe smiled. 

“Of sorts. We can convert our ship’s drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordinance. Crude, but effective.” 

“Nice. Drop that nuke from orbit and Saren can kiss his Turian ass goodbye.” Ash commented but Kirrahe shook his head.

“Unfortunately, the facility is too well-fortified for that. We’ll need to place the bomb at a precise location.” 

“Then where do we take the nuke and how do we get there?” John asked.

“The bomb must be taken to the far side of the facility. Your ship can drop it off but we’ll need to infiltrate the base, disable the AA guns and pacify any ground forces first.” Kirrahe explained and Kaidan frowned.

“You want us to go in on foot? We don’t have enough men.” Kaidan spoke up.

“It does sound a bit risky,” Jane agreed. “Is there no other way?”

“No but I think we can work around that. I’m going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we’ve got their attention, you can sneak a shadow team in the back.”

“It’s a good plan but your team will take heavy casualties.” John pointed out. 

“I’m aware of that Commander and that makes what I’m going to ask even more difficult. I need one of your men to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams.”

“That’s a good idea, we’ll need someone who knows Alliance communication protocols.” Jane said. The twins exchanged a look and John inclined his head slightly to Ash. Jane nodded in agreement before speaking. “Williams, you’re up.”

“Yes, ma’am!” 

“Excellent. Since all of my men will be with me I’d also like one of your men with engineering expertise to accompany your men when they set the bomb.” Kirrahe explained. The Shepards didn’t even exchange a look this time.

“Tali!” John called, waving their friend over. Tali jogged over from the field shelter she’d been in, watching the exchange. “Tali, have you worked on a Salarian drive core before?”

“Yes sir, many times!” she chirped, happy to contribute. “The Admiralty Board made sure we all knew how any species ship in the Flotilla functioned since we have so many.”

“One of my men can bring her up to speed then with the changes to our drive core for the bomb conversion. An inspired decision Commander.” Kirrahe mused and John grinned.

“Tali is the best engineer I’ve ever come across. I knew she’d be an asset.” John said. Tali shifted, the light on her visor blinking on and off rapidly.

“I’ll prepare my men, we’ll be moving out shortly.” Kirrahe said, moving off to line his men up. John and Jane turned to look their friends over.

“Be smart and cool, Ash, use that skill we both know you have,” Jane said, giving her subordinate a look, “and stay safe. If you get hurt, I’ll kick your ass.”

“Same to you, Tali, I know you can do this so you will do it.” John said. Both women nodded their heads.

“Let’s get Wrex, Garrus, and Liara for the Shadow team. Alenko, you provide Tali with protection while she sets up the bomb. Move out everyone.”

~*~*~

"Wrex and I will take point," John stated as the team moved quickly. "Garrus, you take rear guard. Liara, you give support to Wrex and myself, Jane, cover us." 

The group mumbled agreement as they approached the first structure. 

"We have drones," Garrus warned. Jane and Liara nodded as they quickly began to throw singularities and warps. Garrus used his sniper rifle to take out their optics while John and Wrex checked to make sure the drones weren't drawing attention.

"Jane, scope it out," John ordered and Jane crept to the front and peered through her scope. 

"Easy, only a handful," she stated. "But they are definitely guarding something up there. Might be a useful control panel." 

"Let's get up there and I'll see if I can do anything," Garrus stated. The team moved quickly, Jane and Liara throwing Geth units while John and Wrex took out the lone prime. Garrus quickly approached a control panel. 

"What do we have?" Jane asked and Garrus flicked his mandibles in a grin. 

"Triangulation point," Garrus chuckled before he began to type. “It's offline now," he stated before pulling his assault rifle and rendered the console to junk. "It'll stay that way." 

"You do Tali proud," Jane teased and Garrus chuckled before the group headed along. 

"Commanders, I see a satellite on that roof," Liara pointed out. 

"Take that down for us, will you, Liara?" John asked and the Asari skillfully pulled the satellite off the structure. John tossed a grenade on it as they passed. 

"Think the Geth know we are here?" Garrus asked.

"Shadow! We're being pinned by the Geth drones! If you can stop them somehow we could use the help!" Ash reported over the comms and Jane quickly began to scan the sky.

"There," Wrex purred as he pointed to a landing pad half hidden behind one of the natural walls. Jane began to creep along the walkway, low. John watched her as she changed her ammo to incendiary. Jane saw a refueling station, complete with a large fuel tank. She smirked as she carefully aimed and two shots resulted in an explosion that took out three of the drones. 

"Nice shot," Garrus stated and Jane smirked. "I could have done it in one." 

"Keep talking, Turian," Jane chuckled as they continued on.

"Are those Salarians with the Geth?" Liara whispered and Jane checked with her scope.

"They must be on Saren's side," Jane stated. 

~*~*~

“Check out that console,” John ordered Liara as the team spread out by the doorway into the back of the lab. John kept his assault rifle raised and was sweeping the area for any further enemies. Liara hurried over to the still active console before typing away for a minute.

“We’ve got access to base security. I can cut the alarms from here, even trigger some.” Liara explained. 

“Could we trigger a few here? Draw them away from the front teams?” Jane asked, going towards Liara. Liara typed away for a minute before nodding.

“Yes but that would draw more troops this way. Don’t you think we’ve done enough to help out the others?” Liara questioned. Jane thought for a moment. 

“Thoughts?” she asked, and Wrex just laughed.

“We can handle it Jane.” Garrus spoke up and John chuckled.

“Go for it, sister.” He said and Jane smiled.

“Trigger them here, Liara.”

“Yes ma’am, alarms are being trigger in our area to bring reinforcements our way.”

“Then let’s not keep them waiting!” Wrex roared. John sighed and opened the door to let the Krogan charging in with a bloodthirsty roar. He followed up shortly, casually shooting a Geth down from the ceiling that was aiming at the Krogan’s vulnerable back. 

“Somehow Wrex is going to try take them all out himself,” John muttered. Liara laughed as Garrus sighed.

“And this surprises you?”

~*~*~

The warehouse was filled with Geth and the group used their techniques they had developed as a team to take the enemy out. Wrex and John wrecked havoc while Jane and Liara supported with biotics and Garrus took the rear, keeping the two biotics covered while the two tanks did their damage. After the Geth, the group entered a room guarded by Salarians who were quickly put down. 

"Upstairs or down?" Wrex asked and John nodded up. The group moved upstairs to find a collection of cells. 

"Salarian prisoners?" John muttered as Jane approached a cell. The prisoner began crying and mumbling incoherently in fear. 

"They've been tortured," she muttered as she approached another cell. 

"What do you want? I told you everything! I...Who are you? Alliance, right? I knew someone would come. It tried to break me, but it couldn't! I shut it out!" the next Salarian stated and Jane paused. It...it tried to break him...what was...Jane's mind flashed to Benezia. Jane looked at John and he had the same look in his eye, did these Salarians face the might of Saren's ship or was it something else. 

"Slow down, I need to know where you came from," John said and the Salarian nodded.

"Private Menos Avot of the Third Infiltration Regiment STG, Sir! Captured while on reconnaissance six days ago. Glad to answer, sir!" he replied. "Never any questions from these bastards. Just whispers and poking and cutting. I'd have said anything to get out and get some payback. That's not too much to ask, is it? A little payback?" Jane felt uneasy by the Salarian. He said originally he had told everything...but then saying anything to be released...what was STG protocol? Jane would have to do some serious research on STG practices. 

"What did they do to you, soldier?" John asked, he was staying back, John felt it too, something wasn't right. 

"Experiment, but I don't know what for. The effect of incessant whispering on my shortening temper? Who knows? I just need out," Menos hissed. John gave Jane a look, she gave a quick shake. No, she felt it too and it was not safe. 

"If we don't let him out, he's as good as dead. We have to do something," John stated. 

"Yes, leaving me here would be bad. Very bad. It's too small and the noise just won't go away. Whispering is loud, you know?" Menos hissed and Jane raised her eyebrows at her brother and he nodded. Morality was all well and good, but Salarians, while not as bad as Krogan, were still dangerous when insane. "I need to get out. Let me out." 

"Sorry, soldier, but we can't take that chance," Jane said as the group moved away from the cell. 

"Can't take that chance...no chance. I need to do what it says. I have to. Let me out...let me out! Let me out! Let me out! LET ME OUT!" Menos cried with increasing fervor before he rushed the door of the cell. A wet crunch sounded loudly as he impacted, from the angle of his neck as he dropped to the floor, Jane suspected he broke it. Jane closed her eyes in sympathy and looked at the others.

"Insane..." Garrus muttered and Liara looked at the two.

"My mother said Sovereign...." she stared and then saw the look in the two Shepards' eyes. “You already realized." 

"That ship needs to be blown up into very small pieces," Jane stated. 

"Agreed," John said as they continued on. The fortress was poorly designed with stairs and walkways in locations that were inconvenient. They passed through another prison hold, but this one was different, less sterile, more for the continued torture. 

"Let's see to them," Jane said and the group paused.

"They're probably like the last batch," Garrus commented and Jane shook her head.

"Look at that one, it's designed to break minds...not house slaves," John commented and the two quickly made it downstairs. They approached the first cell.

"Well, you're not a Geth. And you're not wearing a lab coat. I guess I'm glad to see you," the Salarian inside said. "Lieutenant Ganto Imness of the Third Infiltration Regiment, captured during recon. I assume the fleet was called in to destroy the base?" Jane and John shared a look.

"The transmission wasn't clear. The fleet is not coming," Jane said and the Salarian kept a straight face. Perhaps he was disappointed, Jane couldn't tell. 

"I see. Then you must be the infiltration team. I know the captain. He will want this facility destroyed. My team was altered, indoctrinated. He knew about the breeding ground. But the indoctrination is a greater threat, and far more horrifying. I watched good people reduced to mindless husks. There wasn't anything left. Others died during the experiments. I envy them," Ganto said. 

"Do you know anything about the experiments they were conducting?" Jane asked. 

"They were studying indoctrination. Symptoms, progress. Saren uses it to control his people, but I don't think he fully understands it. I don't know much else. I just saw what it did to the others. Turned them into empty husks. I can't end up like that. Please...let me out," Ganto spoke, his voice finally displaying the deep fear he was feeling. 

"We will," Jane said. Slowly they opened each of the cells and Ganto stared at his crew, mindless slaves. "Garrus, Liara, Wrex...I want you to escort these guys back and summon the Normandy.”

"Shepard, it might just be kinder to let them stay," Garrus stated and Jane shook her head.

"We need to study this indoctrination, there might be a way to reverse it, we won't know until we study these men. Keep them sedated and with Chakwas when you get on the Normandy," Jane said and Ganto nodded as he took two of the husk-like Salarians' wrists. The three Normandy team members slowly followed, Wrex tossing his two over his shoulders. 

"Be careful, Shepards," Liara said and the two nodded back as they pushed on. Up the elevator led to a massive lab filled with husks and a few scientists, one a Krogan. Jane was quick to throw the nearby husks while John shot. A well placed sniper shot took out the Asari scientist before John began rushing the Krogan. Jane took out a few more husks, splattering them across the floor before lifted the Krogan into the air. The two Shepards proceeded to fill the Krogan scientist with holes before heading onto the walkway. 

~*~*~

“I can’t help but feel like I made a mistake ordering the others to help the prisoners escape,” Jane muttered, tense and poised for a surprise attack. Her armor crackled with biotic energy, collected and waiting. 

“It was the right call, Jane, one I happen to agree with,” John reassured his sister, keeping his assault rifle raised as they made their way down the walkway on the outside of the building. “Come on Saren’s office should be through the door at the end.” The twins increased their speed, trying to ignore what the sounds of gunfire in the distance meant for their comrades. A pair of Geth popped out from near the door and were quickly shredded by John’s gunfire and a throw from Jane. They swiftly moved through the door to see a large office with someone crouched behind the desk.

“Come out, hands up!” John ordered. An Asari slowly rose from behind the desk, her hands up as ordered.

“Don’t shoot, please!” she begged. “I just want to get out of here before it’s too late!” 

“We're not going to hurt you. Who are you?” Jane asked, her rifle held over her chest.

“I’m Rana Thanoptis, I’m a neurospecialist. But this job isn’t worth dying over.” She exclaimed. “Or worse. You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!”

“Wait, what?” John exclaimed, lowering his rifle. “Why is Saren dissecting brains? What does indoctrination have to do with a breeding facility?”

“Not at this level,” Rana explained. “We’re studying Sovereign’s effect on organic minds. At least that’s what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible.”

“You helped him and you don’t even know why?” Jane said, clearly shocked at the Asari’s willingness to work with so little knowledge about her employer. Here Jane thought asari were smarter than that. Rana shifted a bit, looking ashamed.

“I didn’t have the option to negotiating. This position is a little more…permanent than I’d expected.” Rana defended herself. “But I can help you! This elevator behind me goes to Saren’s private lab. I can get you in.” Rana moved to the elevator and entered a pass code. The elevator beeped and the doors slid open and she walked back to them. “See? Full access. All of Saren’s private files. Are we good? Can I go?” The twins exchanged a look, and John shrugged.

"What were you studying here?" Jane asked and Rana nodded.

"It's that ship, Sovereign. It emits some kind of...signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. It's called indoctrination. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the Salarian test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too."

"What do you mean by 'collateral damage'?" John asked. 

"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle at the back of the skull. It's like a whisper you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually, you just stop thinking for yourself," Rana explained, her face growing dark. "It happens to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the man I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me." Jane stared at the Asari, the whispers...was Rana hearing it already?

"Why is Saren researching this?" Jane asked. "Isn't he the one controlling it?" 

"The signal comes from the ship. It makes us obey Saren, but I don't think he controls it. Not exactly. I think...he's scared it might be affecting him," Rana said and Jane felt confirmation. Makes us obey Saren...Rana was feeling it, but she was much more in control of herself than some of the others they had encountered. She might recover. "Indoctrination is subtle. By the time the effects become noticeable, it's usually too late."

"Tell us more about this signal," Jane quickly demanded. 

"Signal's not exactly the right word. There's some kind of energy field emanating from the ship. It changes thought patterns. Over time...days, maybe a week...it weakens your will. You become easier to manipulate and control. But it's a degenerative condition. There's a balance between control and usefulness. The less freedom a subject maintains, the less capable it becomes," Rana explained and Jane fought a shudder, indoctrination was horrifying. 

“We’re going to blow this place to hell and gone.” Jane retorted, gesturing to the door. “If you want to make it out alive, I’d suggest you start running, now.”

“What…you can’t...but…I'll never...” Rana let out a cry of terror and tore past the siblings, barely waiting for the doors to slide open before she bolted through them and out of sight. John just sighed as they headed for the elevator and stepped inside.

“Was that necessary?”

“Yes," Jane stated.

~*~*~

The elevator came to a stop and the twins were ready to shoot, only to discover an empty room. 

"No guards," Jane muttered.

"Saren probably expected no one to be able to get this far," John commented and they shared a looked as they moved out carefully. There at the bottom of the lab stood another Prothean beacon.

"You ready?" John asked and Jane sighed as she headed down the ramp.

"Next Spectre mission, how about you get your brain jumbled and I stand by as back up?" Jane muttered as she moved towards the beacon. She was not looking forward to having her brain invaded again. "If I'm out, retreat as best you can." 

"You'll be in a fireman's carry, don't worry, baby sister," John said.

"By fourteen minutes," Jane snarked, letting out a nervous breath. A holographic control panel was before the beacon in a pale glowing green. Jane holstered her rifle and placed her hand on the panel. Light flared and Jane prepared herself for the mental excruciating pain. As her body was lifted there was no pain only images. The synthesis process ran through Jane's mind, she tensed for a moment before she relaxed into the beacon's hold. She understood, it was a warning. Organics were being turned into synthetics, it was an invasion, massive, throughout the galaxy but there was hope. A location. She was given the location. She knew, she knew where there would be answers. Hope to stop the purge. The first beacon hadn't tried to kill her, it was a warning and a crucial message. Hope. There was hope. It was there. Jane didn't really feel it as she dropped, she was processing the information as she slowly regained her feet. 

"What happened?" John asked and Jane gave him a look.

"I know what the beacon was saying on Eden Prime," Jane said and he blinked. 

"Well?" he asked and Jane looked back at the beacon.

"The Protheans were being eliminated by synthetics, turned like the husks, but there was a plan. A way to stop it. I know where it is," Jane said and John nodded. 

"You know?" he asked.

"I'll need Liara's help, it's the Prothean name for the planet, but I imagine we have a different name," Jane said and John smirked.

"Good job...did it hurt?" John asked and Jane shook her head.

"Not this time...guess I built up a brain callus," Jane joked as they headed up the ramp.

~*~*~

“We’re making our way to rendezvous now Commander, ETA four minutes,” Liara told him over the comm. 

“We’ll be there shortly, Shepard out,” he replied before lowering his hand from his ear piece. He turned his attention to Jane but saw a display console on the walkway above the beacon. Curious he headed for it as Jane watched. As he approached, the console display changed into a red holographic display of Saren’s ship, Sovereign.

“You are not Saren.” The voice was deep, resonating. It had a metallic quality to it that John had come to associate with VI’s when they spoke but this also held a trace of emotion, puzzlement and malice.

“That can't be his VI interface for his ship,” Jane muttered as she came up behind him.

“If it is maybe we can use it to access some of his files. Learn what he’s planning next.” John replied. The hologram of Sovereign shifted and a sound like a scoff came from the speakers in that deep, dark voice.

“Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.” The voice growled, the words seeming to resonate. John felt a cold chill run down the back of his head and Jane moved closer to him.

“That seals it,” she said in a low voice, “That is definitely not a VI.” 

“There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you can’t even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!” It boomed.

“An actual Reaper, not a Reaper ship!” John snarled, clenching his right fist.

“Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are.” 

“The Protheans were wiped out over fifty thousand years ago. How did you survive for so long?” Jane demanded.

“Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.”

"There is an entire galaxy of races united and ready to face you," Jane growled. 

"Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken." Sovereign's replied was dismissive. It pissed Jane off. 

"Cycle?" She demanded. 

"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind." Sovereign was telling them this for a reason...Jane realized he was confident they could do nothing to stop him. 

"Why would you even make the relays?" John demanded. Sovereign seemed amused by the question. 

"Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it." 

"They plan to destroy us. To what end does that get you?" Jane snarled. Sovereign's reply was condescending. 

"My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."

"Where did you come from? Who built you?" John asked, his voice cold. This was not a story, no myth, Liara's thoughts that something wiped out the Protheans was correct, but it was a giant race of synthetics. It was unbelievable...but still true. 

"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure." Hubris from a machine...Jane had heard of everything now. She glared at the hologram. They had to be built, but why would Sovereign hide that from them. A weakness. Her eyes met John's, he caught that too. 

“You keep referring to we, you mean more of you? How many more and where have you all been?” John snapped. This was bad, very bad. The Reapers were still alive and they were backing everything Saren had done. 

“We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom.”

“Okay that’s enough!” John snapped. “If you won’t explain yourselves and you refuse to back down then we’ll stop you! I refuse to let my friends, my family, and my life be destroyed by giant fucking metal squids who are nothing but homicidal machines gone haywire. You and every other Reaper that dares to attack anyone, anything in this galaxy will be destroyed! I will never allow you to harm the people I’ve sworn to protect!”

“Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.” The hologram slowly faded away and as it did the building shook with a high pitched whine as the windows shattered. 

“Well that bodes well.” John snarked and Jane nodded. 

"Sovereign let it slip though," Jane said and John nodded.

"It's a vanguard," John replied as the comms chirped. 

“Commanders? We’ve got trouble!” Joker called out to them and Jane pressed her fingers to her ear piece.

“Hit us, Joker.”

“That ship, Sovereign? It’s moving. I don’t know what you guys did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half.” Joker explained. “It’s coming your way and it’s coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there – fast!”

“Well that certainly got its attention!” John snarled, bolting for the door, Jane a half-step behind him.

“Joker we’re heading for the rendezvous! Have everyone meet us there!” 

“Aye aye, ma’am!”

~*~*~

"Vanguard means advancing party," Jane commented as the two headed out of the elevator. 

"That means he's the first," John stated.

"Just because the voice is deep doesn't mean it's a boy, it's an AI," Jane corrected and John snorted.

"You're seriously going to argue pronouns with me right now?" John asked and Jane gave him a look.

"We just spoke to an AI that claims it has helped destroy multiple apex races, given it took us over ten-thousand years to get to our current point and fifty-thousand years to get here after the Protheans, we are looking at synthetics that could be hundreds of thousands of years old...yes, arguing about pronouns is coping," Jane argued as they opened the door. A destroyer was rushing the two. Jane used a lift and the two began to blast holes into it, it dropped in pieces as the two entered the office. 

"The Geth are turning from your position, Jaeto. Looks like Shadow kicked a sensitive spot! Williams, head them off! Hold them out here!" Kirrahe's voice called over the comms. 

"Good to know they're still kicking," John said as they exited the office to see three krogan across the walkway. 

"Of course, I trained Williams," Jane replied as she knelt next to John as he took cover by a pillar. John rolled his eyes at Jane as she loaded another round of explosive rounds before laying on the ground. She shot several times. The two charged, Jane's rounds having blinded the three Krogan in different eyes. Two lifts allowed the twins to take out the one still on the ground first, one of the ones in the air, while still airborne, and the last was finished off with double grenades, one from each Shepard. 

"Back to the point, Sovereign is the first," John stated as they quickly began hopscotching to cover. 

"If there have been no other Reapers, they have to be very far away," Jane continued the thought. 

"If we can destroy him...it...how long before the rest of its kind will notice?" John asked.

"Nearing the AA guns," Jane stated as they exited a tunnel onto another walkway. 

"We've got drones," John said. 

"And a Krogan and some Geth," Jane sighed. "I miss Wrex." 

"Agreed," John stated as Jane lifted the Krogan and the Geth. "Take the drone."

"On it," John agreed as he began firing. Jane used a throw to send the mid-air Geth into the wall, smashing it into pieces as she began to use her rifle to perforate the Krogan’s head. "Twenty second Krogan kill...not bad, little sister." 

"By fourteen minutes," Jane replied as a Geth stalker began to bounce about. Jane pulled it and it flew perfectly to get several holes in it. 

"Another drone," John groaned.

"It's an AA gun, did you think it was going to be easy?" Jane asked.

"I was hoping," he replied as they jumped to opposite sides to avoid a missile. It was over faster with two Shepards focusing on one target. They quickly approached the control center. 

"On the AA, watch the elevator, I suspect we'll have company," Jane said. 

"Why are you on the AA?" John asked.

"Do you have a copy of Tali's hacking program on your omni-tool?" Jane asked.

"I got the door," John said and Jane nodded as she quickly used the program to shut down the AA. She slapped a grenade on the control panel before quickly joining John at the door. Shots came from the right. The two quickly took out the Geth on the balcony where they fought the drones and Krogan. The elevator opened and Jane quickly threw the Geth as John rushed in, keeping them down. They filled the elevator with white fluid. 

"Good work, Shadow team, now it's our turn," Kirrahe said over the comm. 

"Shall we?" John asked and Jane hit the button. There was a boom as the console for the AA gun exploded as the doors closed. 

"That's it. We need to clear the Geth and set those charges," Kirrahe said.

"Package team is ready," Kaidan replied. 

The elevator opened and the twins threw themselves to either side of the door as laser sights shone. The Geth stalkers were bouncing. Jane stopped them with lifts and they each took a stalker down. 

"This is the breeding site," Jane muttered as they passed cloning tanks, empty cloning tanks. "Plus side, the Krogan aren't here." 

"Negative side, the Krogan aren't here," John replied and Jane sighed as they hit the massive door's control. 

"All right! Nice work. That's one less thing to worry about!" Joker cried as Jane and John reached the target location. 

"Shadow Team in position, did you get our package?" Jane asked over her comm.

"Package was delivered," Joker replied. "Heading to your location. I'll get as close to the site as I can." The twins shared a look before continually scanning the area, the sound of the Normandy's engines was a relief as she appeared and lowered. 

Members of the crew, including Kaidan and Tali exited, carrying the massive bomb. 

~*~*~

John watched Tali adjusting something on the bomb as Kaidan stood nearby. Jane was by his side scanning the waterway and the surrounding walls, a frown on her face.

“I don’t like this, if someone came up from the walls there we’d be inside a kill box,” Jane spoke, her fingers tapping impatiently against her sniper rifle in an annoying clicking pattern. John shot his sister a glance. 

“I know but the STG’s recon data indicates this run off is from the hydroelectric generator which happens to be on the opposite side of the far wall. Maximum destruction for the bomb placement.” John reminded her of the brief Kirrahe had given them shortly before deployment. Jane grunted, still visibly displeased. John sighed as she started tapping her fingers against her rifle again. “Why don’t you take Garrus up on the walls, one of you on each side?”

Jane shot him a surprised look before slowly grinning. “That obvious I don’t like being down here is it?”

“Just go, I’ll keep watch,” John replied, refusing to be baited. In a rare show of affection Jane reached up with her left hand, tugged him down by his right shoulder to plant a kiss on his right cheek. He rolled his eyes as Jane practically skipped to the Turian. John watched as a few minutes later Jane used a well placed throw to get the Turian on the wall. Garrus dropped down to leave his hands down to reach. Jane rushed the wall, running up and using a throw to push herself up, her hands caught Garrus' and the Turian hauled John's sister up beside him. 

It was quiet for a few minutes as the techs worked and John was wondering why Ash and the STG teams hadn’t checked in yet. He knew they would more than likely stay radio silent but something felt…off.

“Commander, can you read me?” Ash called out over the comms and John felt relief seep into him. 

“Loud and clear Williams. The package is being finalized as we speak. What’s your ETA?” John asked. When Ash’s comm kicked back in he heard gun fired and what she said next turned his blood to ice.

“Negative, Commander!” Ash cried. “The Geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We’ve taken heavy casualties. We’ll never make the rendezvous point in time.”

“Get them out of there, Joker. Now!” he heard Jane order. He glanced up at where he knew she was and saw her standing there, pacing along the top of the wall.

“Negative! It’s too hot! Can’t risk it. We’ll hold them-” Ash’s signal cut off with loud crackle of static. 

“How long to finish arming the bomb, Tali?” John snapped, whirling to face the placement team.

“We’re ready to start at any moment Commander,” Tali replied, standing up with her omni-tool glowing. 

“John, Garrus can't stand watch on this entire wall solo, I don't know anyone else on the crew that can match me on sniping besides Ash,” Jane broke in. John nodded, the choice obvious.

“I’m going and taking Liara and Wrex with me.” He replied before shutting off his comm. Gesturing to the two he picked they headed for the door. As soon as it opened a Geth ambush opened fire. John growled and stormed into the access way, blasting a Geth in its glowing face. He didn’t have time for this.

~*~*~

"Commander, I could assist," Kaidan said from down below and Jane shook her head and she scanned the area from the wall. 

"Negative, LT, we need you down there as lead. Garrus and I are cover," Jane said. Garrus shot and Jane watched a distant drone drop. "We'll give advanced warning. You need to evac that ground team as fast as possible while John gets Ash and Kirrahe, I have a feeling we will be running against a clock when we leave, you need to make sure Tali and our men down there stand a chance." 

"Yes, ma'am," Kaidan said, clicking off his comm.

"Are you sure it's not just because you like watching him work?" Garrus asked off the comms.

"Watch it, Turian, a fall off a wall this tall will damage even you," Jane threatened. It was too quiet and Jane didn't like it. Few Geth were spotted, drones were here and there, but both of them were aiming for the optics or the major energy unit...ending the drones with single shots. 

A Geth drop ship suddenly came shooting down from orbit and started heading for their position.

"Tali, how close to done are you?" Jane asked.

"Nearly done," Tali said.

"Joker get airborne," Jane ordered. "That bug can't match you in the air." 

"Commander..." Joker started. 

"We need you to fire that thing down before it drops Geth!" Jane ordered and the Normandy lifted, firing quickly on the ship. The ship dropped but Geth fell too. Jane and Garrus began firing. 

"We just spotted a troop ship!" Ash cried.

"We're handling it, Williams," Jane stated, biotic blue from Kaidan caught several troops and Garrus was quick to take out the optics. Tali's shots were doing the same. The trooper ship exploded. 

"Be ready for evac, Joker," Jane ordered. 

"Can you hold them off?" John's voice demanded over the comms.

"Go get Williams, the Normandy will get you, we'll keep the bomb safe, round back and get us," Jane ordered.

"I'm activating the bomb," Tali stated.

"What detonation type?" Kirrahe demanded.

"Timer activation on Normandy clear," Tali stated. "I've got anti-hacking programs installed, the Geth won’t be able to deprogram it in time." 

"I'm going to get the ground team," Joker hissed.

"There will be time still," Tali said.

"Jane..." John stated.

"Williams is your goal, we can handle it with the Normandy as air support," Jane stated from the wall. Geth were coming faster but with her and Garrus taking out optics before the Geth could get closer to the ground team, the kill zone was now in their favor and against Saren. They could do this. 

"Continuing on to Williams," John said and Jane felt relieved.

"Tali...has the timer started?" Jane asked.

"It's best not to know," Kaidan stated.

"I can't tell if that's a yes," Garrus muttered and Jane kept it to herself that she wasn't certain either. 

~*~*~

“On your feet, Williams,” John ordered stiffly, tossing aside a Geth unit that was pinning Ash’s feet, “I’m not letting the others down.” Ash groaned as she shoved aside the remains of a Geth unit on her chest. The Geth had come flying at her before she’d shot its head off. The upper portion of her left arm had a gaping hole with Medigel packed into it and the arm hung limply. John reached down and took her by her right arm, helping her to stand.

“Sir, if the bomb goes off before we get back this’ll be for nothing.” Ash replied and John scowled at her.

“No one dies,” John bit out and turned to the STG squad as the Normandy flew in for pick up. “How long to get your men aboard Captain Kirrahe?”

“Ten minutes, Commander.” The STG Captain replied, slinging one of his teammates' arms over his shoulders. “Faster if you can spare your men to help us 

“Ash, tell Joker to pick me and the others up in fifteen at the bomb site and he’s to land if it’s a hot zone or not. The Normandy can take a few dings versus us dying in a nuclear explosion,” John ordered and then turned to Liara and Wrex. “Help them get aboard and I’ll go back for the others. If we’re not onboard within five minutes of landing, take off and don’t look back.”

“John, no!” Liara cried out. “We can’t just-” She was cut off as John stepped close to her and put a finger on her lips.

“Yes you will, no one dies that doesn’t have too. Now go!” with that John headed back the way the team had come from at a run. Liara stared after him before she felt Ash tug at her arm.

“The faster we get this done, the better Liara. Give me a hand.”

~*~*~

Jane was taking out Geth left and right when she heard the sound of a hover board. Garrus was thrown from the wall by a biotic burst. Jane quickly used a lift to cushion the Turian’s fall. She saw him floating over the water as she whipped around. Saren was quickly approaching, biotic blue covered him and Jane quickly rushed at him along the wall. The maneuver caught him by surprise and his attack missed, hitting the ground behind her. Jane shot up activating a barrier. The damn board was shielded. 

"Jane!" Kaidan cried.

"Help Garrus!" Jane ordered as Saren dropped from his board to the top of the wall. Jane glared at him, the killing cool washing over her. She had this son of a bitch in her sight and she let him live, she would not make the same mistake twice. She shot her rifle at his head. His shield held, it was too strong, if her rifle didn't drop it, she didn't have what it took without a tech and Alenko and Tali were neck deep in Geth with Garrus on the ground too. 

"I applaud you, Shepard. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. An impressive diversion," Saren stated, giving her those calculating eyes she last saw in hologram form.

"STG plan, so I can't take credit for it," Jane replied. 

"And humble too, of course, it was all for nothing. I won't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake," he stated and Jane glared as she pulled up her own biotic shield. 

"I saw the message in the beacon too," Jane replied, her body reaching the kill zone, Turian hand to hand combat guides rolled in her head. Saren would no doubt have the advantage with size and strength, but Jane was nimble and flexible. Reach goes far, but flexibility was never a disadvantage. "Our difference is, I won't let the Reapers just come in, I will fight them." 

"You will die," Saren stated. "You were a mistake and that vision will do nothing to aid you." He rushed her and he was fast, but Jane was not impressed by his speed as she shoved a hand up into his jaw, purposely catching his mandible. There was a crack and he snarled as he brought his fist down. Jane used a throw to shove his arm back before kicking at his knee. He pulled back. He was good, she was insane for trying to take on a Turian Spectre with decades of experience. However as she fought, she caught sight of Garrus standing below fighting off Geth, Tali applying medigel in cover, and Kaidan throwing a Geth away. She couldn't not fight. 

"You do your race proud, Shepard," Saren said.

"And you bring dishonor to your family," Jane said faking an upper cut, instead shoving him back with a push feigned as an across. Saren stumbled back, throwing a warp. Jane threw herself back, her foot barely catching the ledge. The wall was not a good place to fight, but Saren seemed confident. They fought again and again. Jane could push him back, but even blocking his strikes rattled her bones. He was too strong and even with her speed, his experience was going to win this. 

"I've got the package!" Joker cried. 

"Get back to the target site!" John's voice ordered just as Saren punched Jane with a right cross. Stars filled her vision as her body rocked, the balls of her feet were on the edge, she was about to fall. A three digit hand wrapped around her throat, jerking her off her feet. Saren lifted Jane up by her neck, she threw two hits to his inner arm, but it did nothing, his elbow was just too far away for her to use sufficient force to make it bend. One hand reached for his face, but her fingers grazed his nose and he turned his head, his eye just beyond her fingertips. She couldn't jab him somewhere to get the release response. 

"You did well for a young Spectre, but not well enough, Shepard," Saren said as he turned, Jane's feet kicked, oxygen starvation starting to kick in as her heels jabbed at his legs, she couldn't reach his knees and his armor protected his gut and groin too well. Jane's vision began to dim at the edges, slowly losing color and clarity, fading away to black. His armor kept her fingers from jamming in to cause weakness in his digits. "You've seen the vision from the beacons. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. I will spare you from trying to participate in a pointless revolt. There will be no sacrifice of everything." Jane's world was narrowing, her pulse pounded in her head. This was it...this was how death would find her, hanging over the edge of the wall, dangling over a bomb that would leave her corpse as dust. She had lost...John would be disappointed and she would leave this world with Saren's glowing eyes and brainwashed words as her last sight and sound. 

"The Protheans tried to fight and they were utterly destroyed. People like you need to be ended because survival comes not with a fight, but with a submission. Take it as a show of respect and mercy, Shepard, I will make it so you need not fight...you will not be forced to kneel, you can go to your death knowing I will save many more that your fight would not," Saren stated and Jane's world vanished into darkness, the pounding of her heart going slower and slower as her body became weightless. 

~*~*~

“NO!” John screamed, the door had opened revealing his worst nightmare. His younger twin was being held by her throat at the top of the wall by Saren. Even from this distance he could see her face was nearly purple, her hands dropped to her sides as Saren spoke to her. Her body was limp and then Saren let go. Jane's body was falling and there was no way he would be there in time to catch her. The way Saren had released her would end with Jane's skull hitting ground first, if she wasn't dead from the stranglehold, then the fall would spray her brains into the water. John was running, he wouldn't make it, but he had to try, but instead a burst of blue was beneath Jane, biotics. Her body floated down, the speed cut and Kaidan caught her. Jane wasn't a splatter, Kaidan would take care of her, and the next danger was Saren. John lifted his gun to see the Turian was already looking down on him, a grenade flying at his face. John dove out of the way, the grenade exploding to his left side and sent him skidding along the waterway. Saren leapt onto his hover board, his attention on John as the male Shepard used the momentum from his roll to place him by an outcrop. 

“Impressive, I was certain that you would leave those by the bomb behind, allowing me to take care of your sister,” Saren purred. “Of course it was all for nothing. I can’t let you disrupt what I have accomplished either. You can’t possibly understand what’s really at stake.” 

“Why are you doing this?” John snapped, slowly raising into a crouch. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kaidan feeling Jane's throat, his face grim as he placed Jane on the ramp by the other door. He was starting CPR...Jane wasn't breathing, John's rage grew. 

“The visions from the beacons explain all Shepard, as your sister could have attested to. The Reapers cannot be stopped.” Saren explained. “Do not mire yourself in pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the safety of petty freedoms like your sister would have. The Protheans tried to fight and look what it got them...annihilation. Trillions dead, but what if they had bowed before the invaders. Would the Protean still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?”

“You can’t honestly believe the Reapers would let us live?” John scoffed, slowly standing. He finally got a good look at Saren and noticed a cut just below one of his eyes and one of his mandibles was swelling. Jane had put up one hell of a fight before Saren got ahold of her. Out of the corner of his eye, John saw Garrus and Tali holding off the Geth not too far from where Kaidan was blocking Jane's body but Saren’s attention was focused solely on John as he spoke, his eyes practically shining with religious fervor. Only his religion was the Reapers and Sovereign was his temple. 

“Now you see why I did not bring this information before the Council.” Saren retorted. “We organics are driven purely by emotion, not logic. We will fight, even when we know we cannot win.”

“That’s not emotion that’s called being alive!” John snapped back. “People, be they human Asari, Turian, Salarian and the multitude between all want to live and they fight to live! In that fighting incredible things happen and we do come on top!” Saren scoffed at that. John saw Kaidan lifting Jane up, her arm was over his shoulder, finger grasping, the opposite hand on her throat, her eyes were hooded, but she was alive. John could do it...Jane was still there and he had to do what he could to keep it that way. 

“Instead of fighting what if we worked with the Reapers?” Saren demanded. “How many lives would be saved then? Once I understood that I joined with Sovereign.”

“Sovereign’s manipulating you and you don’t even know it.” John accused him, glaring at the Turian who seemed to jerk at that statement. John had hit a nerve. “You’re already under its power!”

“No! Sovereign needs me. If I find the Conduit, I’ve been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope!” Saren snarled. John heard it in his voice. A desperation, a plea, a selfishness for him and his people. Saren was trying to save himself and the Turian race but he had stared too long into the abyss and it had noticed him. His sister may hate him, but John had to try. Saren, according to his records, had been a great Spectre once, even though he hated humans.

“Saren, together we can stop Sovereign.” John said, gesturing to himself and the Turian. “We don’t have to submit to the Reapers, we can beat them!”

“I no longer believe that, John. The visions cannot be denied. The Reapers are too powerful. The only hope for survival is to join with them. Sovereign is a machine, it thinks like a machine. If I can prove my value I become a resource worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion!”

John glanced at Jane. She wasn't trying to stand, she was hurting, as she looked at Saren, and John could see her sclera had ruptured blood vessels, the whites of her eyes were blood red. Kaidan was moving for the group as she looked at John. She was trying to talk, but given that he couldn't hear anything, her voice had been damaged. John was in this with Saren alone.

“Make no mistake, I’m not doing this for myself! Don’t you see? Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way we will survive!” Saren snapped. “I’m forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed! But you two children would undo my work. You would doom an entire civilization to annihilation. And for that you must die.”

Saren reacted in an instant, flinging a biotic throw at John. Blue flashed, Jane might be hurting, but she was still a biotic. John had seen his sister use her biotics in battle without an implant and now she had defended him by meeting Saren’s biotic field with one of her own, but she wasn't going to be able to stop Saren alone...luckily, Jane wasn't alone and neither was John, the Shepard twins watched each other's backs. 

John opened fire with his assault rifle, forcing Saren to abandon the field. He zoomed away with his hover board, circling. John whistled, getting Jane’s attention and gestured with Alliance signals for her to grab the board when she could. She nodded and John felt worry fill him. Jane was already at her limits, he could see her breathing hard, Kaidan was talking to her and she was signaling with her hands. Kaidan helped Jane stand, the man used his body to prop Jane up vertically, one arm around her waist, the other reaching up and around to her shoulder. Jane's eyes were on Saren and her nose was bleeding. She was barely there, this had to be quick. 

John looked back to the sky and saw Saren sweeping in low and fast. It was now or never. He clicked the overkill switch on his rifle and brought it to bare. He opened fire in a wild pattern in Saren’s path, forcing the Turian make his hover board stop or fly right into the hail of bullets. Jane reacted in an instant and grabbed the board in a biotic field, yanking it out from under him. Saren’s look of momentary surprise was priceless and then he was falling to the spillway. He tucked his body and rolled as he hit. John charged, noting that Jane had gone limp in Kaidan's arms and was taking gasping breaths as her nose was gushing blood. She was overextended so he was on his own. John tossed his overheated rifle into Saren’s face but he just swatted it away. John slammed into Saren, not giving the Turian a chance to take stock of the area. John grabbed Saren roughly by where the neck met the shoulder and slammed his other fist into the Turian’s swelling mandible. John grinned ferally at the loud crunch that followed along with the bird like shriek Saren made. Then the Turian’s talon like hands came up and slashed at his face, making John let go to get distance between them. John instinctively grabbed for his knife and cursed a moment later when he remembered he hadn’t replaced it since X57. He shifted his other arm up to catch the Turian’s hands with his forearm. Saren clamped down on him, making him wince and his armor creaked ominously. John sank the fist of his free hand into Saren’s stomach. Their armors clanging loudly but Saren still winced. Then John felt shock race through him as Saren actually picked him up by his arm and tossed him towards the wall. John slammed into the wall and his head cracked against the wall make John’s vision blur for a moment. John shook his head, trying to clear and then Saren was there, lifting John up again.

“Time to die.” Saren snarled just before an alarm began in the base began to sound. He glanced behind him and John acted. Just as Saren turned back, John punched him in his broken mandible, this time breaking the skin and making the bone punch out. Saren dropped him with a scream and John slammed into the ground, bashing face first into the concrete during impact. He felt his nose break and his forehead felt like it was on fire. John forced himself up to his hands and knees, blinking his eyes to clear the blurry vision and blood that was suddenly running into his right eye. Saren was heading for his hover board. 

“Normandy is here Commanders!” Joker’s loud voice broke over the comms. John forced himself to his feet and looked up to see the Normandy inbound with its ramp down.

“Everyone on now!” John ordered.

~*~*~

Kaidan rushed to the infirmary, Jane heavy in his arms, her eyes were rolling up, and blood was pouring from her nose. 

"Dr. Chakwas!" Kaidan cried. Salarians were strapped to each table and Chakwas looked horrified. 

"Here!" she ordered as she shoved her desk clear. Kaidan lowered Jane down and Chakwas ran her omni-tool over the female commander. "What happened?" 

"Saren strangled her, she stopped breathing, but I got her to start with rescue breathing. She was barely conscious when she started covering the other Commander," Kaidan explained. Chakwas was quickly doing something on her omni-tool. 

"She could have killed herself," Chakwas hissed. Jane's body stopped twitching as her eyes closed for a moment. The blood was no longer flowing. Kaidan grabbed a cleaning cloth and began to clear the blood from Jane's face. Chakwas worked as John entered, his eyes on his unconscious sister. 

"What's her status?" John asked and Chakwas sighed. 

"She'll be fine, her trachea was heavily bruised, and she wouldn't have been able to speak after Saren grabbed her. Her eyes have petechial hemorrhaging. She overstressed her implant. Frankly, she's lucky to be alive. Saren nearly killed her," Chakwas said. 

"How long will she be out of the fight?" John asked. 

"Actually, she will be fit for battle in about three days," Chakwas said and John stared. "Her greatest danger was the choking, once that ended she was fine. Petechial hemorrhaging isn't fatal. Overstressing her implant isn't stressful, she's done it before. I'm more concerned about not breathing, but Alenko was fast...he immediately implemented rescue breathing, she'll be fine," Chakwas sighed.

"Don't talk...about me...like I'm not here," Jane groaned, her voice was rough. She started to sit up and both Kaidan and John helped her. 

"You are never allowed to do that to me again," John hissed and Jane gave him a look, the whites of her eyes being red made her blue pupils stand out more. She curled a finger at him and John approached. Jane hit him twice in the thigh and he winced.

"I will be training with Garrus for the rest of the time we have him on the Normandy," Jane explained. 

"Garrus isn't Saren," John muttered.

"No, but he's a Turian, they've got longer arms and legs. I couldn't make Saren release me with classic methods. I need to practice. That will never be repeated," Jane sighed with a wince. 

"Your voice will be hoarse for the next few days, Commander, but no lasting damage," Chakwas said and Jane smiled.

"Good to know," she replied and Chakwas ran her scanner over Jane a few more times. 

"You should make sure to thank, Kaidan, however," she said and Jane blinked before looking at Kaidan, he blushed and excused himself. Jane watched him go. 

"What did he do?" Jane asked.

"He caught you when Saren dropped you off the wall," John said and Jane blinked.

"He also used rescue breathing to get you start breathing after Saren strangled you," Chakwas said and Jane blinked. 

"I wasn't breathing," Jane muttered.

"Don't worry, you'll remember how in now time," John said and Jane gave him a look.

"Check out my brother too, he probably didn't get away injury-less either," Jane muttered. 

~*~*~

“How are you doing, sis?” John asked as they walked together form the infirmary to the conference room. Of the team the Shepards had it the worst and had both been left to Chakwas’ tender mercies.

“I’ll be fine after I get some sleep.” Jane replied. He eyes were still blood red but she seemed annoyed. “I hate it when I over extend myself like that. That’s the second time I’ve done that since Mindoir.”

“Let’s check on the team and contact the council, then you can get some rack time.” John said, rubbing his nose. Chakwas had patched it together alright but it…itched. Ugh he hated breaking his nose, it always itched after they cartilage was refused. He also hated laser scalpels, the damn things always gave him the creeps.

“This could have gone so much worse if it had been just one of us.” Jane said in exhaustion but didn’t argue. John only hummed an agreement as they entered the conference room. As Jane took a seat in the only unoccupied chair, which in itself was a rarity as they both usually choose to lean against a holographic projector during meetings. John took in the ground team. All of them looked worn out and beaten down. Ash had her left arm in a sling and she looked worn out. Garrus had a bandage on the back of his fringe, Kaidan had the remains of a black eye fading. Liara had various cuts and bruises but Wrex and Tali seemed to be the only ones without any visible mark but John knew Krogan healed quickly and Tali was kind of obvious.

“How are Captain Kirrahe and his team settling in?” John asked, leaning against his customary spot.

“They’re getting some sleep now Commander,” Kaidan spoke up. “He gave us coordinates where to meet up with a Salarian cruiser who will take them home. I already gave Joker the go ahead since it’s on the way to the Citadel.”

“Good idea, Kaidan,” Jane spoke up. “It’ll take use two days to get to the Citadel. We need that time to rest.”

“Jane, if you don’t mind I believe the beacon you found in Saren’s base was similar to the one on Eden Prime. It may have helped filled in the missing pieces of your vision. I might be able to help you put all those pieces together.” Liara chimed in and John frowned glancing between the two. 

“You want to join our minds again, don’t you?” Jane asked tiredly with a sigh. “Oka-”

“Not today.” John cut in and everyone turned to look at him. “We’re all exhausted. The only thing we’re doing is all getting some shuteye for the next eight hours. Liara help Jane tomorrow.”

“Yes, you’re right Commander.” Liara said, flushing. “It would be best to do this when we’re not tired.”

“Crew dismissed, everyone grab some food and then some sleep.” John ordered. Jane stood wearily and John shot her a look. “Are you sure you’re up to dealing with the Council?” 

“I’m not an invalid,” Jane said in an icy tone with a look of annoyance and he raised his hands up defensively.

“Okay but don’t say I didn’t offer it,” John replied as he tapped away at one of the consoles before signaling a request to speak with the Council. Jane was silent as Joker patched it through. They didn’t have to wait long as the Council’s holograms appear shortly after. “Greetings, Councilors.” 

“Commanders, I’m pleased to see your mission on Virmire was a success.” Councilor Tevos said. 

“We were just reading the preliminary mission reports from Captain Kirrahe,” Councilor Sparatus said, looking up from a data pad in his hand, “Saren is formidable enough without an army of Krogan serving under him.”

“Those Krogan would have severed Saren and Sovereign. We spoke with it via holographic communication and I can confirm that Saren’s flagship is itself a Reaper.” John spoke up.

“Yes, I saw mention of this in your report Commander.” Councilor Valern replied. “A sentient machine, a true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming…if it turns out to be accurate.”

“Sovereign’s a Reaper. Saren himself admitted it to us,” Jane stated with an icy tone, her voice gravelly. 

“He’s playing you with you, Shepards! Saren still has contacts on the Citadel. He probably saw your earlier reports, the ones talking about Jane’s visions and the Reapers.” Councilor Sparatus retorted. Jane took a deep breath to reply but winced. John’s hand on her arm calmed her. She glanced at him and felt her anger deflate as he shook his head sadly. They both turned their attention back to the Council who were still speaking.

“-own intelligence has never turned up any corroborating information.” Councilor Valern was explaining. 

“I understand Councilors but sooner or later you’re going to have to take something we say on faith, Councilors.” John replied.

“Try to see it from our perspectives, Commander,” Councilor Valern reasoned. “Saren is a threat we can recognize. However, as far as we know, the Reapers only exist in your sister’s visions. Our decisions affect trillions of live. We cannot act on the accusations of single person's dream, even a Spectre’s. Not without solid evidence.”

“The Council cannot take any official action here. That is why we created the Spectres. You have the authority to act as you see fit.” Councilor Tevos chimed in.

“If you truly believe Sovereign is the real threat, you must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren.” Councilor Valern explained and John sighed. 

“I understand Councilors. We’ll be heading back to the Citadel to resupply and should be there within two to three days.” John explained. The Councilors shared a look and nodded to each other.

“Then this will perhaps fit with what we do have planned for Saren and his Geth. We’re going to amass an interspecies task force to deal with them when they enter Council space. Please report to Ambassador Udina when you arrive. We’ll speak more then.”

“We’ll be there Councilors,” Jane agreed.

~*~*~

Earth Date: July 22nd, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, In Transit

Jane woke, surprised to find that John had let her rest for just over twelve hours, which meant John had not slept in a bed. Knowing her stubborn twin, the man had probably rested in a rack and let Jane take the bed. It was sweet, but unnecessary. Jane went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Jane had been using medical assistance to clear the bruising on her throat and to get the blood out of her sclera. Her eyes were normal and no one would know that she had been wearing Saren's handprint on her throat the day prior. After sleeping she was ravenous and while her throat felt better, Jane decided not to test herself. Breakfast was two of the shakes prepackaged for biotics. The cool mixtures soothed her throat and Jane pictured placing a round in the soft spot of Saren's throat the next time she saw him...if John didn't try to talk Saren down. She thought Saren deserved death, but John had made it clear he wanted to try and 'save' Saren from Sovereign's control. 

As her thoughts moved to John, she figured it was time to try and find said brother. She didn’t have to go far as she found him in the medical officer’s office. The door was already open to the infirmary and she didn’t see any sign of Dr. Chakwas but as she approached she heard voices talking and the topic of conversation made her slow her stride and move quietly towards the door.

“…nothing in common. This makes no sense!” Liara’s voice, passionate and confused. Jane frowned. What was wrong?

“Liara don’t think like a scientist. Logic doesn’t work when it comes to relationships. Just let yourself get swept up in the storm.” John’s voice, soft, passionate. Jane felt some of the age old childhood sibling cruelty kicking in. What was dear twin brother attempting to talk his Asari girlfriend into especially with lines that were that lame. Did women actually fall for that? 

“You make it sound so…chaotic. So…dangerous.” Liara this time and Jane rolled her eyes, clearly Liara had about as much experience as Jane. 

“It can be but Liara it can be wonderful at the same time. I haven’t felt like this about someone in years. You make me feel alive, happy and content all at the same time. Our talks are the highlight of my day. You’re the highlight of my day.” John said softly and Jane smiled. Now he didn't sound like a lothario. 

“This is a bit overwhelming. I-I am not used to…to…”

“Then we can start off small, luv. Like this…” Jane blinked at John’s pet name for Liara just before she heard Liara sigh happily followed by the sound of a kiss. Jane shook her head and peaked around the door frame into the office. John had Liara gently pressed into the wall, his arms around her as he kissed her. Liara’s hands were resting lightly on her brother’s arm and back. Jane grinned happily and watched for a moment before the hand Liara had on John’s back began to slide down to his-

Jane coughed loudly, freezing the two. Liara’s eyes shot wide open and her head whipped away from John. She blushed so hard Jane damn near thought her face turned purple and John was glaring at Jane so intensely Jane could have sworn her hair was going to catch on fire soon.

“I was going to ask if we should attempt to translate the vision, but I don't know if I want to know what you've got on your mind...because I suspect I might know and I rather not experience that," Jane grinned. John sighed and pulled away from Liara letting the poor embarrassed Asari free from his embrace to fidget.

“I take it you feel better,” John snarked and Jane grinned happily at them like Christmas had come early.

“Immensely,” Jane declared and John sighed.

~*~*~

"So you know, I'm going to get you back for that," John said as the two headed out. 

"So you know, I don't care," Jane grinned. "I have to give her credit, she was totally going to grab your ass." 

"And you stopped it," John growled.

"Oh and look, it's time for you to be on the bridge," Jane said.

"Remember, you were the mistake," John stated and Jane grinned.

"I was the bonus," Jane shot back as she watched John walk up the stairs, he made a rude hand gesture back at her. "Shameful to do that to your sister!" The elevator opened behind Jane and karma came back. Kaidan was coming up from training. Sweat glistened on his skin and he looked surprised to see her. 

"Jane...how are you feeling?" Kaidan asked and Jane stared at him for a moment. He had done rescue breathing. He had kept her alive. 

"Do you have a minute?" she asked and Kaidan nodded. Jane brought him to her room and he looked nervous. They stared at each other for a moment. They both moved to speak. 

"Go ahead," Kaidan said and Jane looked at him. 

"Thank you isn't enough," Jane stated and he blinked.

"I did what I needed to," Kaidan said and Jane looked at him.

"You had to be looking at me to see me fall," Jane said and he blushed.

"I always keep an eye on you," he said and Jane reached out, she caught Kaidan's hand. She looked down at it. 

"My head should have been smashed but you caught me...you got me breathing again," Jane said. 

"I just did what I could," he said, his fingers curling around her hand. 

"You mean something to me, Kaidan," Jane said, blushing as she looked him in the eye and Kaidan blushed too.

"I mean a lot to me, Jane," Kaidan said and he reached to cup her face. 

"I want to see where this is going," Jane said and Kaidan smiled.

"I'd like that," he said.

"Jane, meet me in the conference room," John's voice called over the comm. Jane's hand covered Kaidan's mouth. 

"I'll be right up, do I need to be dressed to talk to the Council?" she asked.

"No, just wanted to pass on some good news," John said. 

"Be up in a second," Jane said.

"And I'm still going to get you back for Liara later," John warned.

"I'm terrified," Jane said with a smile. Kaidan's lips pressed against her palm and she giggled before whispering next to his ear. "Watch out, I made John angry." Kaidan shook his head as he headed out and Jane headed up to meet John.

 

~*Chapter End*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby: I made you sweat didn’t I? *grins evilly* I hope you all had a chill run down your spines as Tali was assigned to the bomb. As for how we dealt with the whole choosing to kill someone off it came down to one thing. There are two Shepards. Two ways to deal with Saren, one to rescue the Salarians and another to protect the bomb from Saren. Why they got there so early and they had to work on the bomb was a team dealt with prisoners as the twins went off to complete the mission. Less time wasted, less time for the ship team to prep the bomb. So people lived, people got shot, and Belle got to fight Saren. For some reason she really doesn’t like that guy…
> 
> Belle: Don't be mad, Toby and I wanted to give people heart attacks and I hope we did. Let us know if we got you or not because we want to know if we have to be more clever in the future. Thanks and I hope this was worth the wait!


	10. A Moment in History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last it is time for the Shepard twins to face Sovereign and Saren in battle. How does the Battle of the Citadel change with two Shepards aiming to save the galaxy from the worst threat of the universe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Toby’s Note: Okay so here is the finale for ME1. Ten will pick right up with 2 and 3 is somewhere out there. *points to the future* Chapter ten is almost done as Belle has been working on it since the start so hopefully after this has been posted ten will follow shortly along with eleven. 
> 
> Belle's Note: Ten will sort of pick up with the beginning of ME2, unfortunately the Shepards are going to have to die for this story to continue, but they'll only be mostly dead. *give Toby a look* I did not start 2 right from the start, I knew what I wanted to do, I started writing 10 while Toby was writing 8.

Chapter 9: A Moment in History

Earth Date: July 24th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Docking with Citadel

John felt relief creeping its way into his heart as he watched Joker dock the Normandy. They would finally be getting the help they needed. No longer a solo mission they’d be getting an entire fleet to go after Saren. He glanced at Jane who was standing by his right side, her arms crossed and tapping the fingers of her right hand impatiently on her armor covered left elbow. Chakwas had given her a clean bill of health just this morning but John had already decided to privately suggest to Anderson that she be given an advisory role on the Normandy while he led the ground teams. Jane might see right through it and he knew she’d be pissed about it but she wouldn’t defy an Admiral’s orders. Jane had been through enough already and John had no qualms about seeing that she was safely-

“Docking procedures completed, Commanders,” Joker called out, breaking John’s train of thought. He glanced back and saw the docking clamps restraining the Normandy.

“We’ll call you in a few hours Joker,” John replied, heading for the airlock with the others following.

“Ask about the tickertape parade for bringing Saren in!” Joker called after them.

“I'll ask about a statue on the Presidium like the Krogan,” Jane called over her shoulder just before the door closed shut behind them. John just shook his head as the decontamination ran over the group, tightly packed into the airlock. After a few minutes it finished up and opened the outer doors. Just as they were existing the John caught sight of an Admiral waiting impatiently for them. John blinked in surprise but luckily Kaidan was on the ball.

“TEN HUT!” Kaidan called, snapping off a salute. John, Jane, and Ash reacted with the speed of officers with years of experience, quickly snapping to attention and saluting. The Admiral returned the salute and relaxed. The others seemed a bit startled and Garrus quickly began whispering to Wrex.

“Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, Fifth Fleet.” He introduced himself. John eased into an at ease position the others quickly mirrored. 

“We weren’t told to expect your, sir. I would have prepared a formal greeting.” John replied and noticed Garrus slowly easing the others to the side and out of the Admiral’s attention. He’d have to thank the Turian later. 

“Spare me the pleasantries.” Admiral Mikhailovich drawled. John heard Jane growl softly and was halfway tempted to elbow his sister. “I command the 63rd Scout Flotilla. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit after shakedown. Then the Council got their paws…claws. Tentacles. Whatever. They got them on our ship. And you four.”

“We still serve the Alliance, sir.” Jane piped up, drawing the Admiral’s glare from John to her. “As Spectres, we can advance our interests to the Council.”

“Hmph. Do you and your sister still know what your color you blood is, Shepard?” Admiral Mikhailovich snarked. John saw Jane's lip curl slightly at that and John felt acutely aware of his alien friends watching carefully from nearby. “I don’t begrudge the politicians’ decision to throw you to the Council. It’s an…opportunity. I do begrudge this overdesigned piece of tin, though.”

“The Normandy is a fine ship, sir.” John retorted. “She’s served us well so far.”

“It’s a gimmick, Commander. Useless in a stand-up fight. This experiment,” Mikhailovich slapped a fist into his palm at the word experiment, “diverted billions from our appropriations bills. For the same price, we could’ve had a heavy cruiser. But no, we had to make nice to the Turians. Throw money at a co-developed boondoggle. I’m here to make an inspection, Commander. Normandy is an Alliance warship. I intend to see she’s up to snuff.”

“We’d be honored to show her to you, Admiral.” John replied, even though his sister didn’t feel the same way. 

“I’ll just bet.” The Rear Admiral snarked. “Wait, here, I won’t be long.” With that the Admiral stormed by them, scowling. As soon as the airlock closed behind him John let out a sigh of relief as the Alliance personnel all relaxed.

“Well…he’s pleasant.” Jane remarked and John just shook his head.

“It sounds to me like he’s already made up his mind.” Ash remarked as the others came over. “How long do you think he’ll be?”

“Not too long, especially if he doesn’t want us with him.” Kaidan remarked. John sighed and closed his eyes to rub at his temples. He felt a headache trying to creep its way in.

“Do you want us to wait here with you guys?” Garrus asked. John considered it for a moment before exchanging a look with Jane. Jane raised an eyebrow at him and John gently shook his head.

“Go get the supplies” Jane stated, sending a list from her omnitool to theirs and John nodded in agreement. "We'll...entertain the admiral." 

“We’ll meet you guys at our meeting with the council in a few hours. Restock on what we need, okay? We’ll do a bit of restocking ourselves after the admiral’s inspection.” John added. Garrus nodded and led the way to the elevator with the others but Liara lingered for a moment.

“I-I have a few places I’d like to show you after the meeting John. If there’s time between the meeting and our next deployment would you like to see them? Maybe some dinner?” Liara asked hesitantly and John smiled at her softly while ignoring a look from Jane. 

“I’d love to Liara. We’ll talk more after the meeting, yeah?” John asked and Liara nodded, blushing. Impulsively he leaned towards her and planted a kiss on the Asari’s blushing cheek. Liara’s blush intensified, especially as Wrex of all people wolf-whistled from the waiting elevator. As she scurried over to the waiting non-human crew members John turned to his sister and the remaining Alliance personnel. Ash had a wide-eyed look of surprise while Kaidan was watching completely unsurprised. Jane was grinning smugly at him and John instantly knew why Kaidan wasn’t caught off guard.

“What? Name me one protocol I broke.” John said quickly making Jane laugh, holding up her hands. 

“I didn’t say anything…lothario.” 

John just grumbled as they settled in to wait for the Admiral to return.

 

~*TF*~

"I don't like it," Jane grumbled as they headed to the shops to restock the Normandy. 

"You don't have to like it, but the Council has time to meet with us in an hour," John said and Jane shook her head. 

"You think they're going to blow us off?" Ash asked and Jane shook her head.

"No, I just don't like that we have a meeting and they scheduled us, I thought Saren was a higher priority," Jane sighed. 

"We don't know what they are working on, but it may be a good thing," John said but Jane suspected he was with her. Their mission was not just something weak and pointless, they just put down a damn Krogan clone factory, after saving Feros, and after shutting down a Rachni plant...Saren wasn't an idle threat, but the Council seemed determined to play it cool. That did not bode well for the assault on Saren. Jane did not like being put on a schedule when she was anticipating a direct line to the Council. 

"Commanders! I've been waiting for you to get back!" a familiar voice called and Jane was not in the mood, it took all her will power to turn. Conrad Verner...again. Jane looked at him. "I've got an idea and I wanted to run it by you." Jane was irritated but maybe talking to Conrad could remind her why she was doing this job and doing it by the books. Helping Garrus with Heart had helped her face her demons, maybe talking to Conrad would cool her nerves. 

"What's on your mind?" she asked. 

"With so many human colonies being attacked I'm not sure that one Spectre team is enough. What if you signed me on as another Spectre?" Conrad said and Jane was dumbfounded. The Council was out of her mind at the sheer surprise at Conrad's idea. 

"Conrad, I don't think that's a good idea," Jane said, cutting off John, the look on his face made it clear whatever he was going to say would probably be blunt, not intended to hurt Conrad's feelings...but going to hurt Conrad's feelings. 

"But I'd make a great Spectre. I'd be right there with you showing the Council what humanity is capable of," Conrad said. His passion was in the right place and Jane knew she was doing this job for people like Conrad who believed. "I know you're afraid to trust people after losing your team at Akuze but I'd never let you down." John tensed and Jane quickly moved her hand in the hold position by her side. Akuze was still painful, she was still not over it, but it wasn't something that froze her anymore. She smiled at Conrad, his heart was in the right place even if he was a little bit odd. She had a team, she needed to do this by the books, with the Council, to show them what humanity was capable of for people who believed like Conrad. 

"What about your wife, Conrad? She trusts you too. Aren't you letting her down?" Jane asked. She had people she trusted, people she knew had her back. John, Ash, Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara, Joker, Chakwas...Conrad looked shocked.

"What? I don't understand," Conrad said and Jane gave him a good look. 

"You know what keeps me going out here?" Jane asked and Conrad gave her a confused shake of his head. "Knowing that people back home are keeping humanity strong." He stared at her. 

"You...you're right," he said and Jane nodded. "I just so caught up in all of it. I wanted to help. I'll go home. Thanks for setting me straight." He turned and headed off. Jane watched him go. 

"You let him down very gently," John commented and Jane gave him a look. 

"You were worried when he mentioned Akuze," Jane said and John gave her a look. "I know you. He is the reason I fight. He believes in humanity, in the best of us. I give the best of myself for people like him, who want us to rise up." 

"That's a nice way to think about it," Kaidan said and Jane nodded. 

"Let's get the shopping done before we face the Council," Jane said. 

 

~*TF*~

As John walked up the stairs with his sister at his side and his friends behind him he had to admit to himself that he felt anxious. He knew the Council was finally going to act against Saren but he still felt like it was up chance now. Still, how the council had acted before was causing him to felt a doubt. He glanced at Jane whose face was unsurprisingly blank. Jane wanted Saren taken down, blamed herself for letting him go, this would be her chance to fix what she deemed her mistake. He hoped for her sake this bad feeling she’d mentioned earlier was just nerves. John stepped up next to Udina who glanced at them.

“Good job, Commanders. Thanks to you, the Council’s finally taking real action against Saren.” Udina said, a bit smugly. Jane rolled her eyes at that, making John grin.

“The ambassador is correct.” Tevos began. “If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, as you believe, we will be ready for him.”

“Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel space to the Terminus Systems.” Sparatus stated. John nodded in agreement. That seemed reasonable, defend home base while your strike teams attack the enemy.

“How many ships are you sending to attack Ilos?” Jane asked, “We’d like to accompany them on the Normandy.”

“Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander.” Valern stated and John felt an icy knot of worry form in his gut. “If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war.” 

“Now is the time for discretion, Commanders.” Udina smoothly interjected. “Saren’s greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over.”

“Sovereign’s the real threat,” Jane stated, ignoring Udina and glaring at the Council. “Saren’s just a servant of the Reapers.”

“Only you have seen the Reapers.” Tevos pointed out and John saw Jane clenched a fist at her side. “And then only in visions. We won’t invade the Terminus Systems because of a dream.”

“Secrecy isn’t his greatest weapon. The Conduit is!” John snapped back before Jane would reply. 

“Saren is master manipulator.” Valern replied in a condescending tone, like he was talking to a child. “The Conduit is just a distraction from his real plan to attack the Citadel.”

“If Saren finds the Conduit we’re all screwed,” Jane snapped. “We have to go to Ilos.”

“Ambassador Udina, I get the sense that the Commanders aren’t willing to let this go.” Sparatus replied, ignoring Jane entirely.

“There are serious political implications here, Shepards.” Udina scolded. “Humanity’s made great gains thanks to you two. But now you’re becoming more trouble than you’re worth.”

“You bastard! You’re selling us out!” Ash snarled at Udina. John glanced behind him at his team. Ash and Kaidan were both making fists at their sides, but the entire team looked murderous, even Tali's body spoke of rage.

“It’s just politics.” Udina said with a smug tone. “You’ve done your job. Now let me do mine. We’ve locked out all the Normandy’s primary systems. Until further notice, you’re grounded.”

“Are you insane? After everything we’ve done, you still don’t believe any one of us?” John snarled. Udina looked back at him, smiling smugly at them.

“I think it’s time for you and your team to leave, Commander.” Udina replied and John blinked, noticing for the first time several members of C-Sec were moving in around them, outnumbering them two to one. “This is no longer a concern for any of you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course.”

Jane said nothing but whirled around to stomp off. John glared at Udina for a moment. Now he knew why the Council was acting this way. Udina had been whispering in their ears the entire time. They may have gotten reports from him and Jane directly but Udina had positioning himself for this moment. 

“Very well. Good day Councilors.” John said, nodding to the Council before turning back to Udina. “I’ll remember this…Ambassador.”

With that, John turned and followed his sister. He had an idea, and he needed Jane to pull it off.

~*TF*~

“This is probably the stupidest God damn idea you’ve ever had in your entire life.”

“Well do you have any better suggestions?” John snapped to his sister. Jane just huffed and crossed her arms. Satisfied that he had won that point John turned back to the console display in front of him. After Udina had yanked the floor out from under them the team had stormed off, most heading for the Normandy. John had taken Jane by the elbow and after assuring Liara that they’d talk later he’d dragged his sister to a taxi kiosk. Quickly finding his destination, he’d dragged his fuming sister to Ward 42, infamous for having more used ship stores than anywhere else in the Citadel. Then he continued to lead her around as they begun browsing the shuttle and smaller ship options available to them.

“Do you even think we can afford a ship?” Jane asked after moment. John grunted affirmatively. He’d checked their joint savings account on his omni-tool on the ride over and found it stood a little over thirty million. The profits from the farm had been building and they’d both just dropped the mineral rights proceeds into the same account. He knew his own personal accounts were built up to about five million total as he really only used his pay during vacations and when he needed something the Alliance didn’t supply. Not to mention picking up the occasional weapon or mod from a merc corpse and selling it later. He’d be willing to bet Jane was sitting on a similar amount and that might let them purchase a shuttle or even a ship to continue pursing Saren. Although…

“John if we do this it means we’ll be officially AWOL from the Alliance.” Jane bit out and John sighed. He’d considered that and while he didn’t want to face those charges when they came back he’d been given no choice. The more time they wasted here, the closer Saren got to the conduit and people would die. John would gladly face jail time if it saved lives.

Even Udina’s.

“I won’t let that stop me and I doubt it’ll stop you either. Besides if we use our authority as Spectres we might get a slap on the wrist.” John replied, pulling up the details on a decommissioned Turian destroyer that looked promising. Stripped of weapons and about forty years out of date it was still fast. Maybe Garrus could…

“Commanders,” A familiar male voice spoke up behind them. John turned around to see Jane smiling faintly at Kaidan and Liara who were approaching them. 

“Kaidan, Liara.” Jane greeted them and John closed the display on the ship to greet them as well.

“Joker has been trying to contact you both for the last hour. Captain Anderson has been trying to reach you both.” Kaidan explained. “Liara thought you might be here.” John ignored the look Jane sent him at that last part.

“We turned off our comms while we explored…ideas.” Jane replied. Kaidan shot a look at the sign overhead and smiled.

“You never know when to quit do you, Shep?” he said, directing a look to Jane that had John raising an eyebrow. He looked at Jane and noticed she was blushing. 

“Did he say what he wanted?” John asked Liara, beginning to walk away from his sister and his LT. He took Liara’s hand in his to tug her along. Unlike Jane, he preferred to keep out of his sibling’s love life, despite how against regulations it was. 

Well he would mostly keep out of it. If Jane told him three months from now she was pregnant Kaidan was going to becoming Wrex’s new sparring partner.

Without armor.

And biotic inhibitor strapped to his skull.

And John shooting him in both knees and elbows before Wrex started in on Kaidan.

“The captain asked for you two to meet him at Flux in an hour.” Liara explained, tightening her fingers around his. They were silent for a moment as they walked, enjoying the others company before Liara spoke again. “I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” John reassured her, giving her hand a squeeze. 

“It’s not right. You did everything they asked for and more. Nobody else could have done what you did!” Liara proclaimed and John chuckled.

“Don’t let Jane hear you say that,” he teased and Liara blushed.

“Still, the Council owe you two everything and instead they strip you of your command and ground the Normandy.”

“I don’t care if they ground me,” John honestly mused as they walked, turning his gaze from the Asari with him to the view of the Nebula and the other Citadel wards. “but they’re refusing to go after Saren. If they don’t stop him we’re all dead and time is wasting. Rather than waste my time trying to convince them to change their minds I’m going to try and find a way around them. Hopefully Anderson has an idea how to do that.”

“I believe in you, John.” Liara replied, and John turned back to see her smiling hopefully at him. “I am with you every step of the way.” John stopped and pulled Liara out of the main way of the foot traffic and pulled her into his embrace. Liara sighed happily and slipped her hands around him.

“After all this is done, I promise we’ll have a proper date. Just you, me and anything you want to do.” John whispered into her ear. Liara rested her head on his shoulder.

“I’d like that.”

~*TF*~

They were heading towards Flux when Jane noticed the collection of humans apparently protesting. 

"Hey! Excuse me? You're the Spectres, right?" A man called and Jane paused. "Commanders Shepard. It's an honor to speak with the two of you." 

"What's this demonstration about?" John asked as he looked at the people. 

"I'm Charles Saracino of the Terra Firma Party. With Armistice Day coming soon, we're making our voices heard by the alien-appeasers on the Presidium. Can I count on your support in the next election?" Charles asked and Jane fought to keep her face blank. Terra Firma, they were better than the human supremacists of Cerberus but they were still not a great group. 

"You're marking the end of the First Contact War with a protest?" John said with a deadpan tone.

"As we have every year, for the last 26 years. The war taught humanity a lesson that some would forget," Charles said. "If we don't stand up for ourselves, no one else will." Clearly Charles did not do his homework. The Shepard family had been Independents for generations, preferring to judge candidates on their own merits instead of what party they were a part of, to her knowledge no one in her family had ever voted for a Terra Firma candidate. 

"What are you running for?" Jane asked and Charles smiled at her. He made her think of Udina...he would not be getting her vote. 

"I'm seeking one of the five spacer seats in Parliament. They have certain baroque conditions for a citizen to be able to vote for them. You have to spend more than six months a year in space. But you can't have stayed in any one settled system for more than a month. You do spend most of your time in space, Commanders," Charles said and Jane gave him a look. Alliance Space teams were the largest number of spacer votes, Charles was clever thinking to talk to them, John and Jane had qualified as spacer votes since they left boot camp. 

"Remind me," Jane said, her voice turning sweeter than normal and she could feel the team behind her tense, they knew she wasn't happy. "What is Terra Firma's platform again?"

"Our core value is that Earth must "stand firm" against alien influences. Politically, culturally, and...in the worst case...militarily," he said and Jane gave him a cold look.

""What you are talking about sounds like a racial issue," Jane said and John moved to stop her but she gave him a sharp look. John might be older, but he was not her boss and she was pretty pissed, Charles had gained her wrath and by God she would be showing him the truth of the Shepards. 

"I can't deny that some of our supporters have extreme views. But out platform is also supported by economists, sociologist, and medical professionals," Charles said and John stepped up.

"The problem is, you don't do anything to curtail the racist comments of your members," John said and Charles gave him a look.

"Of course not, Commander. Whether I disagree with them or not, they have the right to express their opinion," Charles said and Jane was annoyed.

"Sorry, I believe we need to work peacefully with other races," Jane snapped. 

"I thought you of all people would understand what we want to accomplish," Charles said and Jane gave him a look. 

"Batarian slavers decimated the colony I grew up on," Jane said giving him her killing eyes and Charles looked concerned. "I would die to defend anyone from the horrors of slavers, it doesn't matter if they were Turian, Batarian, Human, Asari, and I would not wish the horrors of what I saw on Mindoir on any race. Everyone remembers the Skyllian Blitz, the slavers there were Human, Batarian, Krogan, Turian, and a collection of others, I would protect anyone from another who would take their lives by force. I nearly fried my brain on Mindoir the day I fought to stay out of Batarian hands. I would have died without Asari doctors who knew how to implant me, stressing my brain out the way I did. I only have the control I do of my biotics today because of Asari trainers. The only reason we have adult biotics who are not vegetables is because of alien technology. You protest all you want, but I'll be voting against you and against any Terra Firma candidate until they remember we have enemies to unite against...more than you know." Jane turned and walked off. She was followed. 

"I heard you were a xenophobe, Shepard," Wrex joked.

"I heard I could kill a Krogan in under thirty seconds," Jane shot back. 

"I heard you needed your brother to do that," Garrus added and Jane felt better. 

"I think you hurt his feelings," John said. 

"Wrex will get over it," Jane replied as they entered Flux. 

"He meant that Terra Firma asshole," Ash said and Jane nodded.

"He's lucky I didn't throw him," Jane replied. 

"There's the Captain," John said and the joking ended. 

"Go by the bar," Jane ordered. 

"Yes ma'am," Kaidan said and the two Shepards approached the table. 

"I'm glad you came, Shepards. I heard what happened," Anderson said. 

"They pulled us off the mission. Just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy," John said and Anderson nodded. 

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked," he said. "I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!"

"There's only one ship that can get us into the Terminus Systems undetected, and she's grounded," Jane said. 

"Citadel control's locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back on-line. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone," Anderson said. Jane gave Anderson a look before looking at John. Anderson was risking it all for them. 

"If we steal the Normandy, you're the one left holding the bag," John said. 

"And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, Asari, everybody!" Anderson said. "You two are the only ones who can stop him. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station." 

"Stealing the Normandy is mutiny. What if the crew won't help us?" Jane asked, but she had a good idea about the crew. 

"The Normandy's your ship now, Commander. Her crew will follow you to the ends of the galaxy. We all know that," he said giving her a look and Jane felt a little silly, but she trusted Anderson. 

"We won't forget this, Captain, I promise," John said. 

"We promise," Jane added. 

"I can unlock the Normandy from one of the consoles in the Citadel control center. You'll have a few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened," Anderson began. 

"That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How are you going to get in?" Jane asked. 

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're in the Normandy when the systems come back on-line," Anderson ordered and Jane gave John a look.

"You're going to get yourself killed. There has to be another way!" John said. 

"Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order. If I can hack into the computer in his office, maybe I can override it," Anderson said, clearly thinking about it. 

"He's not going to let you just use his computer," John said.

"Hopefully, he won't be there. If he is, I'll just have to think of something," Anderson said.

"Udina won't let this slide, Captain. You'll be charged with treason, a capital offense," Jane said. 

"We don't have a lot of option. I break into the ambassador's computer or I take my chances with the patrols in Citadel control," Anderson said and the Shepard twins shared a look. 

"You'll have a better chance if you go after the ambassador's computer," John said and Jane nodded. 

"I was hoping you'd say that. The ambassador has made this personal," Anderson said. "You ready to get the hell of this station, Commanders?" 

"Let's do it," Jane said. 

"I'll take care of the lockdown. You get down to the Normandy and tell Joker to stand by," Anderson ordered and the twins saluted. 

~*TF*~

Joker hung over the controls while Jane and John stood flanking him, watching the controls. It had been almost too easy to load the Normandy and get back on without alerting anyone. 

Joker gave them a look as he rubbed his thumb over the side of his fingers, he was anxious and John couldn't blame him. This was dangerous. All eyes caught the release. 

"Get us out of here, Joker...now!" Jane growled and the pilot smirked as he pulled them out of the dock and the ship slipped away from the Citadel. 

"Think he punched him?" John asked as they headed for the galaxy display. 

"I hope he cold cocked the son of a bitch," Jane replied and John smirked. 

"I can picture that," he said. 

"We both can," Jane said as they headed to set the course for Ilos. 

~*TF*~

Earth Date: July 25th, 2183 CE  
Location: SSV Normandy, Approximately 6 hours from Mu Relay and Ilos…

The ship was quiet, unnaturally so, even for the Normandy. As John walked her decks and took in the Normandy’s crew and their mood he had to wonder if he wasn’t leading them into a carefully planned ambush. There was one nagging thought in his mind as he made his way down the stairs to the crew deck.

The Council could be right and Saren had played them like a fiddle. John trusted Jane, with his life and the lives of the men and women he served with, but this was an entire galaxy at stake. Here he was racing after a genocidal madman mostly on a vision his sister had gotten from a long dead species. John sighed to himself and shook his head. His mind was wandering and doubts were creeping in. The Normandy was running on a skeleton crew right now, as most personnel were getting some sleep or rest before Ilos. It was easy for Jane to fall asleep, it was when she did normally but it was the start of his shift and he felt raring to go. Granted they would get to Ilos while he was still in command so he wouldn’t be fighting tired but this waiting…

“John, may I speak with you?” a familiar and welcome voice called out to him. John turned to his left and saw Liara was standing nervously by the entrance to the medical quarters.

“Of course,” he replied and followed the Asari through the empty medical bay into the office in the back where she had set up shop. 

~*TF*~

Jane needed to get to sleep, but it was hard, she looked over what was known about Ilos...precious little. She wanted to scream, sleep would be hard but she needed to get as much as possible. Her mind had different ideas however, her door opened and she turned to see Kaidan enter.

"Commander?" he asked and Jane stood up, moving to greet him. 

"You probably shouldn't call me that...I probably shouldn't be wearing this uniform," Jane sighed as Kaidan approached. 

"Yeah...a hell of a thing," Kaidan said, looking at her. "We broke our oath to defend the Alliance so we can keep it." Jane chuckled softly. "What happens if this doesn't work out?" 

~*TF*~

John didn’t miss the beep as Liara closed the door behind them and locked it as well. He made his way to the desk and leaned against it. He drank in the sight of Liara, clad in the form fitting medical jumpsuit and nervously fidgeting with her hands. He waited a moment before Liara took a deep breath and began to speak.

“I have been thinking about you, and what we are about to face.” Liara began, softly at first but getting louder as she became surer of herself. John got the feeling as she spoke that she’d been practicing it a bit, at least in her head. “I do not know what is going to happen on Ilos. I hope we will stop Saren, of course, but part of me fears we are already too late. There is something I must tell you, in case we fail.”

“We’re not going to fail. I promise.” John stated firmly. Liara blinked and softly smiled.

“Please…I am not looking for comfort. Saren might already have the Conduit. It is time to be completely honest with each other.” Liara replied and John blinked at that. He’d thought they’d been pretty damn open during their talks…and other things. “There could be our last moments together. Our last chance to show each other how we feel. I want this to be special.”

John, being a hetro-male of the human species, couldn’t stop the thought of ‘Oh hell yes I’m gonna get sex tonight!’ that blared through his mind. This mental thought was under scored by the fact that Liara was an Asari and damn fine example of that species. So, while John would readily agree he still had feeling for Liara that went beyond primal caveman thoughts of ravaging her. So, he had to ask…

“We don’t have to do this, not unless you’re sure.” John reassured her. Liara smiled.

“I have never been more sure of anything in my life.” Liara affirmed and John’s mental-self did a happy dance. “Will you join with me, Shepard? Let our bodies and minds unite.”

“Just tell me what to do,” John said and stepped closer to the Asari. Liara smiled happily and slipped her hands around the back of his neck pulling him to her…

~*TF*~

"We a hell of an example of humanity's best and brightest, huh?" Kaidan said, looking into her eyes. 

"I keep reminding myself that we're doing the right thing...I don't believe me yet," Jane confessed and Kaidan moved close. Her eyes were on his and his said a lot more than he was. 

"Well if I didn't think you were doing the right thing, I wouldn't be here," he said, his voice soft yet intense. "It'll really hit the fan when we get to Ilos. If things don't go well...I want you to know, well, I've enjoyed serving under you." He stepped close and Jane's brain suddenly realized what this was. Kaidan was going to take this...opportunity to explore their...relationship. Jane's heart began to pound. 

"Was that all you wanted from me?" Jane asked, surprised to hear herself practically purr. Kaidan chuckled, it sent a shiver down her spine. 

"Hehe, I suppose there is more...I suppose we could get drummed out of the corps for fraternization, but that will fall well after the charges for mutiny," he said as he got closer, they weren't touching, but he was so close she could feel the warmth of his body against her chest. His eyes were dark and his pupils wide. "You know what, you're right...about everything. When I think about losing you...I can't stand it." His face was so close to hers, it wouldn't take much to close the gap between then. 

"The galaxy will keep going. Everything. Even the Reapers will come around again but you and I...we are important right now," Kaidan said. "This is what will never happen again. Us. Shepard...you make me feel...human." Jane stared into his face. She knew how it felt to be the odd one out. Biotics often were made to be the weird ones, she looked at him and smiled. 

"I can make you feel much more than that," she purred and his lips quirked up into his relaxed smile. She wanted him and this was going to happen. 

"Is that an order?" he teased. 

"Read my lips," Jane replied as her hand caught the back of his neck and she brought her lips to his. 

~*TF*~

John lay on his back on the cot Liara had setup in the office, the aforementioned Asari was lying atop of him, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. Her blanket covered them both as they relaxed. His right arm was under the Asari as his left hand slid up and down her hips, caressing her. Liara laughed softly and he smiled.

“What is it?” he asked, curious. The room was thoroughly trashed and their clothes were scattered about the place.

“By the Goddess, that was incredible John.” She said, planting a kiss on his chest. John chuckled before planting a kiss on her crest.

“You’re incredible.” John replied. “I think you’ve ruined me for human women.” Liara laughed and slapped his chest playfully. 

“Five minutes ETA to the Mu Relay.” Joker’s voice called out over the ship wide intercom. Liara sighed regretfully and sat up.

“You should go get ready. Duty calls.” Liara said. John sighed himself but gently extracted himself from Liara’s cot and got dressed. As he made his way to the door Liara’s hesitant voice spoke up behind him.

“John?” He turned back to face her and saw her biting her lip. “Whatever happens on Ilos, I just wanted to say…thank you. For everything.”

“The same to you luv,” John replied stepping back to her quickly and planting a linger kiss on her. After they separated he shot her a cocky grin. “I still owe you that date.”

~*TF*~

Jane and John stood on the bridge, flanking Joker.

"Have I mentioned how intimidating it is to have you both over my shoulders?" Joker asked. 

"We want to see what we are getting into," John said and Jane nodded as she stared at Joker's various screens. 

"We've got company," Joker said and Jane read his primary screen.

"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Jane asked. 

"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here," Joker reported. 

"If we pull this off, the Normandy better be labeled an overwhelming success," John muttered. 

"She already is in my book," Jane replied. 

"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface," Pressly interrupted. 

"Take us down, Joker. Lock in on the coordinates," John ordered. 

"Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone's two klicks away," Pressly said and Jane blinked. That was too far to do them much good. Saren was already on the planet and that meant he had time to find the Conduit. 

"We'll never make it on time on foot. Get us something closer," Jane ordered. 

"There is nowhere closer! I looked!" Pressly snapped, he was upset, he wanted this done too and he was not happy to have nothing. John and Jane shared a look, if the Normandy couldn't land, there was one option. 

"Mako," they both said. 

"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is twenty," Pressly said, he sounded pissed. 

"Twenty meters?" Liara gasped. 

"We'll never get in close enough for a drop," Kaidan growled. Everyone knew this meant their prey was going to get to the Conduit. 

"We need to try," Jane said. 

"Find another landing zone," John ordered. 

"There is no other landing zone!" Pressly cried. 

"The descent angle's too steep!" Tali added. 

"It's our only option," Liara pointed out. 

"It's not an option," Kaidan cried. "It's a suicide run! We don't..." 

"I can do it," Joker said with the calm of Buddha. Jane and John both looked at the pilot. 

"Joker?" they asked in unison.

"I can do it," Joker said. 

"Gear up and head down to the Mako," John ordered.

"Joker...drop us right on top of that bastard!" Jane purred as she turned, her prey would not escape.

"Let's suit up," John called and the team headed to the Mako. 

~*TF*~

The Mako came to a stop in time to see the massive doors close.

"Damn," Jane muttered. "We need to get in there and fast." 

"There's no way we're getting through that door with brute force," John stated as they unloaded from the Mako. 

"Saren found a way to open it. There must be a way," Tali said and Jane nodded.

"I know who will be doing the major portion of the hacking," John commented as they headed backwards. Tali using her omni-tool to look for possible terminals. Wrex and John took point. Liara watching over them while Ash and Kaidan watched over Tali. Garrus and Jane took up the rear as they discovered the Geth troopers and armatures waiting for them. 

"This way!" Tali pointed, directing the group, adding her shotgun when they encountered Geth. They reached what appeared to be an ancient elevator. 

"Tell me this is not functioning," Ash muttered as they approached. 

"It is fully functional," Tali said and the group stared. 

"This has to be it," John said and the group stepped into it. 

"Be ready," Jane said.

"True, Saren wouldn't leave it unguarded," John muttered. 

"Nothing is every simple," Jane muttered. 

"You always say that," John chuckled. 

"No, Mom always said that, now we do," Jane muttered as the elevator began to move. 

The doors opened and a massive collection of Geth slowed them down, but it was not as bad as if they had been a smaller group. 

"This terminal," Tali said as she led them up to a small control room. "Saren's already got a headstart. We have to go find him before he reaches the Conduit." She moved to a terminal and began working. 

"Hold on," John said as a nearby terminal began to display something holographic, but it was clearly a message but obviously damaged. Jane stared at it. 

"---too late....unable to....invading fleets....no escape..." a voice said between bouts of static. 

"Sounds like some kind of message. But I don't recognize the language," John said and Jane blinked. 

"It's probably in Prothean," Liara whispered in awe. 

"This recording is over 50,000 years old. No wonder we can't understand it," Tali muttered. 

"The message is all broken up, but I recognize some of the words. It's a warning against the Reaper invasion," Jane said. 

"Incredible! The Cipher must have transferred an understanding of the Prothean language into your mind!" Liara gasped and Jane wondered if she wouldn't have to fend off Liara's questions in the future. 

"-ot safe....seek refuge...side the archives..." the hologram cried, still filled with static. 

"What's it saying?" John asked.

"-alled Reapers...the Citadel...overwhelmed...only hope..." the hologram cried. "...act of desperation...the Conduit...all is lost..." Jane shook her head.

"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help. We should go," Jane said as Tali moved away, they headed back, the door was opened and Saren wasn't going to wait for them.

~*TF*~

“I don’t like this,” Jane remarked, leaning over John’s shoulder to look at the front monitor of the Mako. John grunted, swerving around a tree of some kind that had grown in the years since Ilos had last been inhabited. “Saren could have easily laid a trap for us so why didn’t he?”

“They must have been in a hurry commander. It must mean the Conduit is still some ways off and they were on foot.” Liara chimed in. She was studying a camera feed on her Omni-tool, her eyes never moving trying to see everything she could. “My words those are defunct stasis pods! They may have been trying to outwait the Reapers!”

“I don’t think it worked then,” Garrus chimed in. “Otherwise the Protheans would still be around.”

“The pods are dead,” Tali said as she reviewed some readings she was taking as John barreled through a group of Geth that had been waiting for them. “So are everyone who was inside.”

“Well someone is still alive,” John replied, hitting the brakes and slowing the Mako to a stop. “There’s an energy barrier here. Either Saren set it up or he went around.”

“We’re going to have to get out and turn it off, Commanders,” Ash replied, looking at a feed behind them. “There’s a barrier behind us now too.”

“Damn it,” Jane mumbled. John shifted the Mako into park before turning behind him to look over the group. 

“Ash, Wrex, Tali, I want you three to stay with the Mako. The rest of us are going to get these barriers down.” He ordered, making his way to the Mako’s back hatch. John slammed a fist on the release console and the door opened a moment later, John leading the way. As the others fell in Jane caught up with him and shot him a look. John ignored it, purposely not looking at his sister and her face where the graze mark on her cheek was. An inch to the left she wouldn’t have had a head. It still unnerved him. 

John scowled as they reached an elevator and after the others hurried in he hit the activation pad with a bit too much force. It bent in a bit and sparked before activating. It began to lower them down at a slow pace and John glanced to his left where Liara moved close to the view port on the left. She saw John watching her and she sighed.

“I have studied the Protheans for decades, but I have never felt this sense of foreboding. What will we find down there?” she mused. 

“Answers, hopefully.” Garrus replied from behind John. Jane shot a smile over her shoulder at the Turian and John grunted. The elevator finally it reached its destination and opened to a long walkway and the room filled with cryo pods. At the end of the walkway appeared to be a VI holographic interface with a badly degraded hologram.

“You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either.” A robotic voice spoke as they approached, reminding John of a VI. “This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why sent our warning through the beacons.”

“It looks like a VI program,” Jane murmured and John nodded in agreement.

“It looks pretty badly degraded.” He noted.

“I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you.” The VI continued. “Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope.”

“This is incredible. An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it!” Liara exclaimed and John couldn’t help smiling a bit at Liara’s joy.

“I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend.” The VI explained and Jane let out an amused chuckle. “My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe.”

“What are you, some sort of AI program?” John asked, curious.

“I am an advanced ono-organ analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishran, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility.” The VI explained. John blinked at that. He’d heard of VI’s created to resemble people but one made from some one’s actual scanned brain? That was new…or old depending on your point of view.

“Why did you bring us here?” Jane inquired.

“You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did.” Vigil began. “The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy’s horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed.”

“If Saren turns on the Citadel relay, the Reapers will wipe out the Council and Citadel fleet in one fell swoop!” John exclaimed. 

“That was out fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire was crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by World. System by System. They methodically wiped us out.”

“And none of you surrendered?” Kaidan asked, surprised. 

“No offer for surrender was given. The Reapers had one goal, the systematic eradication of every intelligence lifeform in the galaxy. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every region in the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed, others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control, taken in as refugees by other Protheans. They betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough.” Vigil explained.

“You said you brought here to break this cycle. How do we do that?” John demanded.

“The Conduit is the key.” Vigil explained. “Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network.”

“The Conduit isn’t a weapon, it’s a backdoor on to the Citadel, right past every defense it has!” Jane exclaimed.

“The Mass Relay statue in the Presidium, it’s actually functional!” John realized, snapping his fingers.

“What happened here? To this research facility? Liara asked. 

“We lost all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. Personnel retreated underground, into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades. Centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling.” Vigil explained.

“Yet you still have power.” John said pointedly. 

"I began to disable the life support of non-essential personal. First support staff. Then security. One by one their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay." Vigil stated.

"There are hundreds of stasis pods in here! Thousands!" Liara exclaimed in horror.

"My actions were the result of contingency programming entered upon my creation. I saved key personal." 

"There is no way they told the non-essential staff about that." Garrus grumbled.

“So what happened then?” Jane questioned.

“When the Reapers retreated and the top researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. Only dozens remained. Yet, they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the Keepers were the key.”

“How are the Keepers the key?” John wondered.

“The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay and let the Reapers through. After decades of feverish study the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, the researchers gained access to the Citadel and made the necessary modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space.” Vigil said, and John swore there was a bit of a smug tone in the VI’s voice.

“So Saren’s using the Conduit to reach the Citadel and manually give control of the station back to Sovereign! Sovereign will then allow the Reapers back through!” Jane realized.

“Correct, and the cycle of extinction will begin again.”

“Is there any way we can stop them?” John asked.

“There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadels’ master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the Citadels’ security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign.” Vigil replied. John stepped forward, already inserting a disc and letting the VI insert eh program. John took it back as soon as it was done and slid it into his omni-tool.

“Thank you Vigil.” John replied. 

‘Wait, where’s the master control unit? I’ve never heard of anything like that.” Garrus said.

“Through the Conduit. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination.” Vigil replied.

“Saren’s got enough of a head start. Let’s move people.” Jane ordered, heading back to elevator at a jog. Liara hesitated for a moment and John slipped an arm around her waist, guiding her back to the elevator.

“I know its tough Liara but we can come back. Time is against us right now.” John explained softly. Liara sighed. 

“I understand John but finding this…Vigil could explain so much.” Liara murmured. John gave her a slight squeeze as Jane activated the elevator and it carried them back to the Mako.

“I’m sorry but it’s the best we can do for now. Saren needs to be stopped, now.”

~*TF*~

"Jane, take the gun," John ordered. 

"With extreme prejudice," Jane responded and he nodded. 

"Awe, I wanted to shoot the Geth," Wrex playfully whined. 

"Not this time," John said and the twins got into position. John began to race through the tunnels. Jane switched between gun and rocket launcher, clearing the path through Geth troopers and armatures. 

"Forward," John stated. "Backward." He announced his moves with the Mako, giving Jane time to prevent the waste of shots and to keep her targets locked as the Mako moved. 

"This facility is massive," Liara muttered as she looked at the readings on her omni-tool. 

"It had to be," Ash said. 

"They were the hope of the Prothean Empire," Kaidan added. 

"For what good it did them," Wrex muttered. 

"More than their predecessors," Jane commented as she blew another Geth trooper into scrap. They crested a slope and there was a miniature relay, glowing. 

"There...the Conduit," Tali whispered.

"We don't have time to admire the view. We have to get through that relay," Kaidan said.

"And these Geth aren't going to make it easy on us," Ash muttered. 

"Jane?" John asked. 

"I'll aim out, do your best, I'll aim at the ones closest to the relay first," she said. 

"Let's do this!" John roared as they headed down. Jane caught sight of four armatures. She began firing. "I think I can just dodge them." One blew up. 

"Then do it," Jane said and he chuckled as he rushed through. Tali let out a shriek as they raced through an exploding armature Jane had shot apart just seconds before.

“This is crazy!” Garrus shouted as John banked hard off a rock and shot over another and the mako zoomed straight for the relay.

“We don’t have enough time to get out!” Liara exclaimed and John grinned ferally.

“Who says we’re getting out?” he asked as he shifted, the gears grinding as the mako shot up the ramp, rocking from an impact to one of its rear tires.

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Noooooo!”

"This is going to be weird," Ash grumbled. 

"What about this entire experience has been normal?" Garrus asked. 

"Hold on tight!" John cried out, the mako rocking from one last hit that sent them at a skew and Jane braced herself as they were taken into the relay. There was a second as the world flashed into view. Jane had one moment to appreciate the difference between a ship and the Mako as they hit two Geth and John fought to bring the Mako to a stop before it hit the wall of the Presidium. A ship had all space to come out of the relay. The Mako rolled and Jane was glad everyone was in the habit of strapping it. Her head hit the top of the turret and she felt blood start to ooze into her hair. She was upside down. 

"Everyone okay?" John called. A chorus of 'fines' began to ring.

"I got a good hit to my head," Jane said as she began unbuckling her straps. Masculine hands helped her out of the turret seat and she smiled at Kaidan. He quickly applied med-igel and they crawled out of the Mako. John looked at Jane and she held up a hand. 

"Flesh damage only," she said and he gave her his usual overbearing brother look. "I will be continuing, I'll put you in a stasis and lift you if I have to." 

"What's the plan?" Ash asked. Jane and John shared a look before looking at the team. 

"We need Citadel Control," Jane said.

"Wrex and Garrus with us," John said. "Ash, Kaidan, Liara, and Tali, go to Citadel Control. Tali, get this mess under control." 

"We need to find Saren," Wrex said and Jane looked at Avina. She was glitching badly, but she tried to follow Jane as she approached. 

"Where is Saren Arterius?" Jane asked. 

"Former Spectre agent Saren Arterius is nearing the vicinity of the Council Chamber," she said. "A warrant has been issued for his arrest, though Citadel Security is unable to respond at this time."

"Come on. We need to stop Saren before it's too late," John said. The team split and the Shepards led their group to the elevator. 

"The control terminal must be in the Council Chamber," Jane said and John nodded as they headed up. They watched as the Citadel arms closed. 

"That's not good," Garrus muttered as Sovereign flew by. 

"That's worse," Wrex added before the elevator stopped. 

"Damn," Jane snarled. 

"So close," John growled. "Suit up, we're walking it." The team made sure their helmets were on before the twins aimed at the side of the elevators and shot. 

"Hopefully the other team made it to C-sec," Garrus muttered. 

"Garrus you need to cover us with the sniper," John said.

"I got the biotic coverage," Jane replied. 

"Let's do this," Wrex purred as John and he advanced. 

The shadow of Sovereign loomed over the field and, overshadowing each step of the battle from Geth troopers to drop ships. The hardest part of passing the turrets, part of the Citadel turned against them. 

Finally they reached the hatch to the Citadel Chambers. 

~*TF*~

“Come on, come on, come on…” John muttered under his breath, storming up the stairs with Jane at his side and Garrus and Wrex just behind them. All of it for this moment. They just had to reach Saren, stop him, upload Vigil’s file and…

The reach the Council chambers, a large holographic interface ablaze and there he was, Saren. John raised his pistol and Saren calmly stepped off into the chamber below. John’s eyes widened as a familiar hum began to ring out from where Saren had just fallen.

“Get down!” John barked, diving to the left with Garrus as Jane and Wrex dove to the right as Saren burst out from the chamber on his hover board. Just in time as Saren tossed a grenade at them. It exploded just as they all reached cover. John glanced to his side and saw Jane had thrown herself back down the stairs. She wouldn’t be able to get a decent shot with Saren staring them down with the high...ground.

“I was afraid you two wouldn’t make it in time.” Saren mused.

“In time for what?” John called out, checking his pistol. He locked eyes with Jane who shook her head, she couldn't get up and get a shot. 

“The final confrontation. I think we both expected it would end like this. You’re very persistent. Like myself. Only you’ve lost." Saren gloated. "You know that, don’t you?”

“It’s not over yet, Saren!” Jane shot back at him.

“Oh but it is.” Saren said with a smug tone. “In a few minutes Sovereign will have control of all the Citadel systems. The Citadel Relay will open. The Reapers will return.”

“We’ve still got a few tricks up our sleeves.” John retorted. Saren seemed taken aback by that but then chuckled darkly.

“You survived on Virmire, but I’ve changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has upgraded me.” Saren revealed and John felt his head swim for a bit. He’d let a Reaper put implants in him?!

“You let Sovereign implant you? Are you insane?” Jane hissed, horrified. 

“I suppose I should thank you, John.” Saren mused, ignoring Jane completely. “After Virmire I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted... to strengthen my resolve! Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely! I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us, and Sovereign will find a place for you, too.”

“Sovereign's just controlling you through your implants! Don’t you see that?” John bit back.

“The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine. Intertwined. A union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of future! The evolution of all organic life! This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth.” Saren cried. 

“Sovereign has not won yet. We can stop it from taking control of the station! Step aside, and the invasion will never happen.” Jane snapped.

“We can’t stop it! Not forever! You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans! The Reapers are too powerful.” Saren snarled.

“Some part of you must still realize this is wrong! You can fight this!” John snapped.

“Maybe you’re right. “Saren sounded confused now. Doubt was creeping into his voice. “Maybe there is still a chance for...” Saren cried out suddenly clutching at his head. “The implants…Sovereign is too strong. I’m sorry. It’s too late for me.”

“That’s not true!” John cried, moving out from cover. 

“John no, get back down you damned fool!” Jane yelled at him.

“It’s not cover yet.” John said, ignoring his sister. He’d read Saren’s Spectre file dozens of times and he knew what kind of man Saren was. He may have hated humans, cut corners but he always did what he thought he had to for the good of the galaxy. He had to reach that Saren, He had to try. “You can still redeem yourself! We can stop them and get you help! The Reapers can be beaten! Here and now!”

“Goodbye, John. Thank you.” Saren said softly and raised his pistol under his chin. John watched in horror as Saren pulled the trigger and fell bonelessly from his hover board, smashing through part of the glass and impacting on the floor of the chamber below.

John shook his head as an odd silence filled the room. As he made his way to the controls he felt nothing but pity for Saren. Yes he’d become a genocidal madman but was that before Sovereign got ahold of him or after Sovereign had finished altering his mind. Now they would never know. John ignored Jane’s angry mutterings as he activated his omni-tool and tied it into the console. After a moment it chirped and displayed that John had access to…well…anything.

“Vigil’s data file worked. I’ve got control of all systems.” John said, turning to his team. Garrus sighed in relief as Wrex grunted. Jane was glaring at him with the oddest expression on her face, a mix of pride and anger.

“Quickly, you need to pen the stations arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station.” Garrus replied.

“And open the comms too.” Jane chimed in. John nodded and hurried sent the commands needed.

“Comm channel open. Distress call sent. Now we just have to wait for-” John was cut off as another signal blared over open comms.

“-this is the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down forty percent. We’re not going to make it. The Council is on board. I repeat, Council is on board!” an Asari’s voice cried out.

“Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that’s you Commanders!” a familiar and welcome voice called out. John felt relief flood through him. 

“It’s us, Joker.” Jane replied. “Please tell me you did what we told you to do just before we made our run to the Conduit.”

“Aye, aye ma’am, I’m sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet.” Joker replied and Garrus laughed happily. “We caught that distress call. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we’ll ride in with the cavalry!” 

“John-” Jane began but John was already one step ahead of her. He sent the immediate command and the system instantly unlocked all of the relays. 

“It’s done Joker, now go!” John snapped.

“What's the order? Come in now to save the Ascension or hold back?” Joker replied.

"We need to save the Ascension, no matter what the cost!" Jane called. John sighed in relief and turned to eye Saren’s corpse in the area below them. The Spectre had shot himself in the head but still…

“Make sure he’s dead.” John ordered, focusing on his omni-tool and getting the Citadel’s arms opened. Garrus and Wrex both moved off to head down while Jane approached, giving him a look. 

“I trust you, John, but there are limits of who you can talk down. This wasn't like with Talitha,” Jane said. John grunted as the Citadel’s arms finally began to open and he saw hundreds of ships zip in. He turned off his omni-tool to shoot Jane a glare.

“I had to try.” John replied. Jane rolled her eyes.

“He was trying to commit genocide John.” Jane retorted. John rolled his eyes and turned towards one of the windows to watch the fleets start hitting Sovereign with fire. He felt the tower shake with some of the impacts.

“Was that him or him after the Reapers finished messing with his mind?” John wondered and Jane bit her lip. She was about to reply when a gunshot rang out below them. They both looked down to see Garrus holding a gun at Saren’s head.

“He’s dead.” Wrex growled over the comms. Jane sighed in relief and John shook his head sadly. He knew you couldn’t save everyone but still…

John’s musing was cut off as the room began to shake and sparks a red energy flickered here and there. Saren’s body lit up with red energy like a mass effect field. Saren’s body began to cry out, a guttural sound as the body convulsed. The flesh parts of Saren were melting away and then an explosion of energy sent Wrex and Garrus flying back. It also collapsed the walkway and the Shepard lost their footing. They tumbled down with the walkway, slamming into the ground. John shook his head and glanced at Jane. She was picking herself back up and John got his own feet under him. Meanwhile Saren’s body was still crying out and the flesh falling away as the remaining bits were warping and changing. The arms and legs elongated and ended with sharped claws. Not much remaining except for glowing red eyes and glowing red energy in the center of what had been Saren’s chest.

“Oh shit!” Jane gasped, quickly pulling up her pistol while surrounding herself with a biotic barrier. The Saren-machine creature focused on the ceiling and leaped, much like a Geth jumper.

“I am Sovereign! And this station is MINE!” It bellowed. John dove to the side as it opened fire, throwing bolts of pure energy at them, almost like snipper rounds.

“Oh, that is straight up bullshit!” Jane cried, pulling the trigger with every word, trying to get bead on the jumping and leaping machine. John and Wrex both opened fire with their assault rifles, spraying the areas Saren was going with fire. 

“Try and pin it down!” Garrus cried. Easier said than done. Jane tried to follow the machine but it was too fast for her to get a beat. 

"I'm going to have to go straight up adept," Jane stated and John nodded.

"Do it!" he barked and Jane glowed blue. The Saren-Sovereign launched itself at her. She quickly threw a Lift at it, rolling under it, giving the three others time to begin a weapon assault. As the Lift began to wear off Jane hit it with a Throw. The machine hit the wall and was stunned. John used a couple grenades on it. It bounced along the walls and Jane hit it with a warp, causing it to pause. 

As the group battled it became clear that the Saren-Sovereign was starting to aim for Jane. She was keeping it back but it was getting better and better at dodging her biotics. John and the others were hitting it with everything as Jane dodged and moved, countering every moment she could. 

“Jane!” Garrus called out. Her eyes flicked to a piece of the floor above dangling from a piece of rebar. She nodded focusing on the concrete and Just as the Saren-Sovereign targeted her Garrus hit it in the side of the head with an impact shot, throwing its aim off. Jane grunted as she put all of her will into it and ripped the concrete away, throwing it to smash into the Saren-Sovereign machine, sending it flying back. John and the rest of the team stopped, trying to catch their breath. Then a blood curdling shriek filled the room, the concrete being thrown at John and Wrex making them dive out of the way. It charged Jane, batting Garrus away and lunging at her, slashing at her with its deadly talons. Then came the horrifying moment when it grazed her with a limb, throwing Jane across the area, into a wall. Her body left cracks from impact. She dropped to the ground. 

“Wrex go left!” John snapped, ignoring the beeping of his overheated assault rifle and trying put out of his mind where Jane had landed. If she was hurt…no focus John. He stormed right, slapping every grenade he had onto the rifle. When Wrex dropped his own assault rifle and blasted the Saren-Sovereign machine with a blast from his shotgun it whirled to face him, slamming the Krogan with a wicked back hand that sent him flying, but it worked just like John hoped. He tossed his assault rifle over its head and whipped out his shotgun. He clicked the Carnage setting on it and fired at his own gun as it arced over Saren-Sovereign’s head. It struck and the resulting explosion sent John flying. He slammed into the wall before dropping to the ground. Then something struck him in the right side of his face, whipping his head left and making him involuntarily spit out a few teeth. John shook his head and turned back to face what had hit him. It was the Saren-Sovereign machine and it was smoldering and smoking from the explosion. It had just struck him with its right fist and he noted the left arm was gone. It reared back to strike him.

“No.” John hissed. He had to get up. He would not die like this. Get up John. Get up, get up, get up get up get up, GET UP!

John let out a roar and tackled the thing about the middle. It missed hitting him and snarled in frustration. It beat on his back and John felt every impact. Each blow a sharp pain and his armor was creaking and cracking. John screamed in frustration and straightened, before slamming it down. The Saren-Sovereign machine seamed dazed and John let go for just a second to readjust his grip and pin its remaining arm as well. He had it in front of him and it was struggling, snarling. It kicked and thrashed as it tried to get free, cutting open a gash on John’s face as it struggled.

“Jane shoot!” John cried out, closing his eyes and concentrating. Hold it John, hold it, just hold it. Jane will kill it, she can do it.

Jane was only getting to her feet when she heard John call. The damn Saren-Sovereign had knocked the wind out of her, she had been gasping on the ground for a few frantic second after it had hit her. She looked up to see John wince as he found the Saren-Sovereign, clearly feeling it pulling, kicking. Her left eye stung, and she wiped the side of her head, her armor coming back crimson, her cut was open again, probably when she was thrown into the wall. John was going to lose his hold, the Saren-Sovereign was cracking his armor and soon it’d make him let go. Jane had to shoot. Now. She whipped her sniper rifle up over her shoulder, her eyes were blurring and of course her damn brother was using a fucking wrestling hold on the machine. Her sight landed on the moving head. 

“SHOOT!” John screamed at her. With a breath of air out, she pulled the trigger. 

John heard a gunshot and the Saren-Sovereign machine went limp, before falling onto him. John fell back with a grunt and his head impacted with the ground with a crack. He felt dazed and looked blearily up and through the machine’s rib cage as it dissolved right atop of him. Then Jane was there, her head wound was open again, oozing blood down the side of her face, and her sniper rifle clutched in one hand, the tip smoking. She used a lift and then a throw to remove the dissolving machine. 

“Couldn’t you have done that earlier?” John muttered and Jane laughed weakly, brushing her blood away before holstering her rifle and bending down to pick up her brother. Just as John took her hand his eyes moved up to see a large piece of a ship coming flying towards them. John blinked in shock and Jane looked up. She snarled and then used a throw to shove Wrex and Garrus away from them before wrapping herself around John. He saw her raise a biotic shield that was practically solid. Then the world seemed to buck and he blacked out.

~*TF*~

Kaidan and Ash lead the C-sec teams through the Council Chambers, Liara lifted large pieces of Sovereign, revealing Garrus and Wrex stunned but alive. 

"Captain Anderson, over here! I found them!" a C-sec officer cried. Anderson was quick to approach the Normandy non-human crewmembers. 

"Take it easy...it's over. You're safe now," he said. Looking around for the Shepard twins. "Where's the Commanders? Where are the Shepards?" Both Garrus and Wrex looked at the burning wreckage. There was a moment that the whole team took in all the burning and all the material. 

Biotic blue shoved a chunk of Sovereign over, revealing Jane, her arm held close to her stomach. John had one arm over her shoulder as he leaned on her. They began to move, John limping as Jane winced as her arm was jerked. They smiled at their crew, giving each other a look as they met the rescue team. 

~*TF*~

After Jane's arm and John's leg were set, treated enough that they could move without pain but still not completely healed. They were summoned to meet with the Council. Councilor Udina and Captain Anderson flanked them as they met the Councilors on the Presidium. 

"Ambassador. Captain. Commanders," Tevos greeted. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live," Valern added.

"There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women," Sparatus said. Jane nodded towards the Council, it had been her order that sent the members of Fifth Fleet to their deaths, and she wondered if Admirals felt this weight after a costly battle. 

"The Council also owes you a great personal debt, Commanders. One we can never repay," Tevos said and John recognized the power in that statement, he wished he could share a look with Jane, but he suspected she was wishing she could do the same. "You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers." 

"Commander Shepard and Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for," Valern said. 

"And thought we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save outs, we can honor their memories through our actions," Sparatus said. Both Shepards fought to keep their faces calm and collected. 

"Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council," Tevos said. Then Udina spoke and both Shepards were annoyed. 

"Councilor, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept," Udina spoke as if he were ready to join them himself. That had to be stopped. 

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity's seat on the Council," Valern explained. 

"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendations will carry a great deal of weight. Commanders, do you support any particular candidate?" Tevos asked and the twins shared a look. 

"We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in..." Jane stated. 

"...someone like Captain Anderson," John finished. 

"Him? You must be joking! Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking," Udina sneered. 

"Only with you, Ambassador," Anderson retorted. "Only you." 

"Are you sure about this, Commanders? The Captain's a soldier, not a politician," Udina sneered as if being a soldier was something bad. 

"We've already got too many politicians on the Citadel," John said, leaving the 'like you' silent. "The Captain would be perfect for this job." 

"I think it is an inspired choice," Tevos said. "The Council would welcome him with open arms should he accept." They all looked at Anderson. 

"I'm honored, Councilor, as humanity's representative, I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild," Anderson said and neither twin could keep from smiling. Anderson was a great choice. 

"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both humanity and the Council," Sparatus said. 

"Sovereign was only a vanguard, the Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, maybe thousands and we're going to find some way to stop them," Jane said before nodding at the Council.

"Let's get started on that," John said as the twins turned and headed off. They needed to see how the Normandy faired. 

"Shepard's right. Humanity is ready to do its part united with the rest of the Council. We have the strength to overcome any challenge. When the Reapers come, we must stand side-by-side, we must fight against them as one, and together we will drive them back to the dark space," Anderson said as the twins exited. 

~*TF*~

“Oh, I hurt so much.” John muttered, walking with Jane from their meeting with the Council.

“Oh you big baby, suck it up.” Jane said happily. John rolled his eyes.

“It hit me in the face, a lot.” John retorted. “I had to have cloned teeth implanted.”

“Big baby.” Jane teased and John couldn’t help but laugh and slung an arm around his sister’s shoulders. Jane put her own arm around him and they met up with the team waiting for them. John separated from Jane as Liara lunged at him to wrap her arms around him. Jane smiled as John enfolded Liara in his embrace and murmured softly to Liara, resting a hand between the Asari’s shoulder blades and the back of her crest. 

“I take it went well?” Ash said, smiling. Jane looked over the team. A few scrapes, cuts, and even a bandaged gunshot but they were all here. They had made it.

“Humanity is joining the Council and we recommended Anderson for the spot.” Jane explained. Garrus nodded knowingly as Wrex just grunted. Kaidan smiled softly at Jane who smiled back.

“So what now?” Tali asked. John separated from Liara, but had one of her hands twined with his.

“Now we go get completely totally drunk.” John said and the others cheered. 

“I know this great place that serves amino and dextro.” Garrus said, turning to lead the way. “It made it through okay and I know I can convince them to open for us.”

“Sounds good to me.” Jane said. The others all nodded and followed their Turian friend. Jane sighed happily and smiled at John as he and Liara brought up the rear of the group and Kaidan fell instep beside her. Jane blinked in surprise as she felt Kaidan slip his hand around hers. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

“After this I think I’m going to end the day with a good eight hour sleep in the Captain’s quarters.” John replied.

“How do you think tomorrow will go, my fourteen minute older brother?” Jane asked. John smiled and glanced at Tali.

“I think we might help out someone on her pilgrimage. Maybe buy someone a shuttle and fill it to the brim with parts and supplies.” John replied.

“Oh Lord, but her hot rod why not?” Jane muttered. Liara and Kaidan both laughed. “But I meant with us, the team, the Reapers.”

“Just like you told the Council Jane. We’ll stop them, together.” John replied. Jane smiled.

“The Shepards against the world?” Jane teased and John chuckled.

“How about the Shepards guarding the galaxy.”

“Together?”

“Always.”

“Hey you guys catch up! Wrex is buying the first round!” Garrus called back to them. Jane laughed at that.

“Ten credits it’s some sort of rot gut.”

“No bet sis, no bet.”

~*Chapter End*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby: I wrote and then re-wrote and re-wrote the fight scene with Saren so many times. It was a hard scene as I wanted to show the twins as equals. A lot more difficult than I thought. 
> 
> Belle: This is a BIG deal for us. It makes the first part of the journey done and soon we will break away from the script and create our own story. The what if will change drastically soon. So thank you for coming this far, care to stay and see what else we do?


	11. On My Own

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Collector attack on the Normandy. The two years between the events from Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Belle's Note: Toby and I have been working up to this chapter for over a year now. A good chunk of that was me hoarding chapters like a dragon. At the end is a suggested playlist to listen to while reading. 
> 
> Toby’s Note: I love this chapter. I really do. It’s one of the best so far and I really loved where I ended up with the fight scene in 9.

Chapter 10: On My Own

 

Earth Date: November 20th, 2183 CE

Location: SSV Normandy

 

_“...I've already updated The Mindoir Review. So where are you now?”_

 

“Somewhere in the Omega Nebula. I’m not sure as Pressley indicated we were just going to chase down a sensor echo. Probably nothing but you know Alliance regs.”

 

_“During search and destroy missions chase down all possible leads no matter how explained or remote when no other leads present themselves. You just want more time to butt minds with your girlfriend.”_

 

“We were sparing, full contact sparring, mind you. Hence why I’m in armor and drying my sweat soaked hair.”

 

_“Is that what the kids call it in the mind? Sparring hmmm?”_

 

            John stopped toweling his head dry and shot the holographic representation of Jane a nasty look.

 

            “Don’t get snippy with me, you could have taken your boy-toy with you on leave. The Alliance was willing to split the ground crew but you insisted I keep all the Alliance personnel on board. What’s the matter, he couldn’t keep up with you in the bedroom or the other way around?” John snarked. He saw Jane shift a bit and if the hologram wasn’t all red in color anyways he’d have bet she was blushing.

 

            _“John!”_

 

            “What? You started it.” He retorted smugly and Jane sighed.

 

            “ _I hate you sometimes.”_

 

            “You’ll get over it. Anyways we’re going to head back to the Citadel after this. Liara needs to be on Thessia in person next week to officially oversee the death ceremony for Benezia and sign some papers.” John said, rolling his shoulders and dropping his towel around his neck. Jane frowned.

 

 _“You guys are getting awfully close, especially if she’s telling you about personnel stuff like that.”_ Jane stated and John kept silent. _“Something you want to tell me John?”_

 

“I guess Anderson hasn’t told you but he cleared it with Alliance brass. I’m going with Liara to Thessia to help with their death ceremony for Benezia. So if you want to get hold of me you’ll have to contact the Asari Republics to have the message rerouted. It's your turn to go on wild goose chases while I take leave. ”

 

 _“Wow...you guys are starting to get serious...huh? But that's going to be a problem. I won't be coming back to the Normandy on our projected schedule. I got tapped by another Spectre for an undercover mission. She read the report on Saren and Sovereign and when she heard about my biotics she wanted me on her mission. I'm actually heading to a special two week training course before we go deep cover.”_ Jane explained making John frown.

 

“Anderson didn’t mention it to me yesterday.” John grumbled.

 

 _“I just found out about it last night by your time,”_ Jane clarified. _“No communications or contacts outside of our mission. It is projected for a three month period. I'm sorry, if anything happens you will be contacted.”_

 

“Oh wonderful. I hate when either of us gets a mission like this. Any idea who asked for you?” John inquired. Jane rolled her eyes.

 

 _“It was an Asari, I don't know her, and in fact I haven't been given any names yet. We are meeting at a secure location, training, and then we head out. Once I'm out of the deep cover I'll be taking time off. I might check out Grissom Academy, they've been asking me to come visit for a while now.”_ Jane revealed and John rubbed a hand across his face. Well if this was the first he was hearing about it there was a good chance Anderson wouldn’t cancel his leave. The Normandy was probably going to be dry docked and the whole crew given shore leave.

 

“Well I’ll contact Anderson after we get off the line. Maybe I can swing the Normandy taking us to Thessia as some sort of envoy mission for the Alliance. Anderson might like that and-” John was cut off as Joker’s voice cut in over the ship’s comm system.

 

 ** _“Brace for evasive maneuvers!_** ” Joker cried out. John blinked in surprise and barely grabbed the edge of the railing in front of Jane’s hologram as the ship took a hard bank. Gravity increased for several seconds as the ship moved before the internal stabilizers caught up.

 

“ _John? John, what the hell’s going on?!_ ” Jane screamed.

 

“I don’t know but-” John was again cut off as the ship lurched from an impact. John actually went smashing to the floor, his helmet thrown off a nearby chair to go rolling by him. He looked up at Jane’s hologram. The last thing he saw before the transmission cut out was Jane’s surprised face.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane stared at the screen as it showed the error message. Her heart was in agony as she stood stone still. Dread ten times worse than the Mindoir, Akuze, and Eden Prime attacks clutched at her. She had no idea how long she stood there, but part of her was screaming. Her omni-tool beeped and she pressed it. The message popped up in front of her, showing her that Councilor Anderson was looking back at her with a stern face.

 

            _"Commander Shepard,"_ he said and Jane looked at him, the tears welling in her eyes. _"We have lost contact with the Normandy. The last transmission indicated they were under attack."_

 

            "I am aware, Councilor Anderson. I was on a call with my brother informing him of my mission for the Council," Jane said. There was a moment of silence. He began to open his mouth. "I will continue my mission."

 

            _"Shepard...Jane...You don't have to do this,"_ he said and Jane shook her head and looked up at him.

 

            "John is strong, but if he didn't make it to the escape pods...he didn't make it at all," Jane said.

 

            _"I will contact you as soon as we know more,"_ he said.

 

            "Thank you," Jane said as the communication cut short. She moved to a chair and slumped down, all she could do was to sit and wait...helpless to aid her brother.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Commander!” Joker screamed. John snatched an exposed beam near the console and looked at Joker. He felt horror fill him as he saw the enemy’s beam weapon slicing the Normandy and blocking his path to the escape pod. He had no choice, John couldn’t kill them both. He slammed his fist on the console, overriding the pod and forcing it to close its door and blast away from the Normandy.

 

            Not a moment too soon either. An explosion rocked the Normandy sending John hurtling away, smacking into a piece of debris as he was thrown into space. He felt sick to his stomach as he watched the Normandy, that wonderful ship that had carried them across the galaxy to beat Sovereign and Saren, explode before his very eyes. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his heart and slow his breathing.

 

            _‘Okay, in an emergency situation the Normandy VI sets our omni-tools to broadcast our bio-readings to the escape pods.’_ John thought. He tried to ignore the fact he was free floating in space. If he panicked he might use up too much of his oxygen. _‘So if I set my omni-tool to broadcast something, the pods may pick it up. They can’t get me but when the ships find them, they can find me. So all I have to do is-’_

 

            John felt his blood run cold as he heard and felt his oxygen begin to rush out of his suit. He had a leak! No, two! One by his throat and some spot on his back! The impact with the debris must have caused it!

 

            He frantically clawed at his suit, desperately trying to figure out how to seal it.

 

            _‘This can’t be happening! Not like this! I won’t die like this!_

 

            _I just have to figure out how to seal my suit! Then Jane will save me! Have to…have to…_

_...so cold…hard to breathe…_

_…Jane…please…help…me…_

_…Liara…I so wanted…to see Thessia…with you…_

_...cold…so…cold…_

_…Jane…_

_…Li…ar…a…_

_…_

           

            _…_

 

~*TF*~          

 

            Hours later Jane's omni-tool began to chime. She didn't access it right away, she knew his name wouldn't be on the right list. It took all her strength to lift her arm and access the tool. Her data pad jumped to life. All launched escape pods were accounted for and there were twenty-one crew members on the MIA list. Jane's eyes dropped down.

 

 _Shepard, John_.

 

Jane dropped her arm, clutching herself as biotic blue fluxed over her skin in the darkness of her room. She pulled a pillow to her chest and screamed into it. Her sorrow muffled as she traveled in the darkness of space, where her brother might well be floating lost and alone as well.

 

~*TF*~

 

 Earth Date: November 21st, 2183 CE

Location: Classified

 

            Jane stood in front of the communicator in her alliance uniform, looking the picture of the perfect soldier as the Council appeared before her. The destruction of the Normandy was all over the extranet and the captain of the ship she was currently on had offered Jane a secure line with the Council.

 

            _"Officially all of the individuals on the MIA list are still considered missing,"_ Tevos said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know the protocol, ma'am," Jane said. "Now I would like to know the unofficial information." The four councilors looked at each other.

 

            _"Readings from the Normandy wreck show that all twenty-one of the omni-tools were registering no vital signs to critical readings. The Normandy VI program remained broadcasting from its blackbox four hours after the attack,"_ Valern said and Jane felt cold. _"Unofficially only one was still showing any readings post explosion. Your brother's."_ Jane stared at them blankly.  

 

            _"According to the report of Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, Commander John Shepard forced Moreau into the escape pod and was thrown back. Shepard launched the escape pod and was knocked out of the ship's hull,"_ Sparatus stated and there was a moment, Jane knew they had information they didn't want to share.

 

            "My brother and I enlisted together. I want to know the truth before I go deep cover," Jane said and Anderson nodded. He shared a look with the other councilors and Tevos sighed before nodding in acceptance.

 

            _"Readings from your brother's suit shows that it sustained a puncture. He was losing air rapidly and was beginning to suffocate within seconds of Joker's launch,"_ Anderson said and for a moment Jane felt like the world was dropping out from under her. She had a lot to do, she couldn't quit, John needed her to set things up, he would trust her to make sure everything was covered, her feet felt grounded as she looked up at the Council. " _He was out of range within two minutes of the explosion."_

 

            "Understood," Jane said. "Thank you. I will contact a few close friends and give them the power to take care of Jo...to take care of my brother's remains should they be found in my absence."

 

            _"John Shepard served the Alliance and the Council greatly,"_ Tevos said giving Jane an honest look of sympathy.

 

            _"His name will be added to the Spectre memorial on the Citadel when the official report is released,"_ Valern said, nodding at Jane.

 

            _"He died preserving the lives of his crew, a man of impeccable honor,"_ Sparatus said and Jane was shocked. Sparatus had never seemed to like John nor her. Still John was very much like a Turian. A true soldier.

 

            _"I will see to everything I can, get me the list of contacts to turn to,"_ Anderson said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I will send you it before I leave the system," Jane said. The call flickered out and Jane stared at the communicator for a moment. She had sent a standby out to several individuals, it was time to begin calling.

 

~*TF*~

           

            Wrex had been sympathetic, he would escort any remains that were found back to Mindoir. He offered Jane a night out to celebrate John's life in true Krogan fashion. Jane had accepted, well aware that could lead to someone else dying, but not caring.

 

            Tali had wept, offering Jane condolences when she caught herself. She apologized that she would be unlikely to be able to help much. She was freshly transferred to her new ship and would be expected to use her pilgrimage gift for several months. She would attempt to leave the Flotilla should John be found and a service be set.

 

            Garrus had been a rock. He had asked Jane how she was. He had told her he would also escort John home should he be found. Jane cried after she ended the call with her Turian friend.

 

            The next line of calls went through to the survivors. Dr. Chakwas, Liara, Ash, Kaidan, and Joker had all been with John. Kaidan, Ash, and Liara had been picked up by one ship while Chakwas and Joker had been on another.

 

Jane called Joker first.

 

            _"Oh shit, Commander,"_ Joker groaned as he saw who was on the communicator. He was in a medical bed, the pod had probably broken something.

 

            "How are you, Joker?" Jane asked and the guilt was clear on his face. "It's not your fault, Jeff." He paused.

 

            _"If I had..."_ he started and Jane shook her head.

 

            "It's not your fault, Jeff," she said, a tear escaping her eye. "He would never have let you go down with the ship. That was always his job, so tell me. How are you?" He stared at her for a moment.

 

            _"Both femurs are severely fractured, two ribs broke, and a bunch of minor fractures everywhere,"_ he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'm glad you made it, Joker," Jane said, another tear.

 

            _"I'm sorry, Commander,_ " he said.

 

            "You did nothing wrong. He wouldn't want you to think you were responsible because you're not," Jane said, the tears were flowing freely.

 

            _"Still, I..."_ he stared and Jane looked up as fiercely as she could.

 

            "Do not blame yourself, Jeff Moreau, or you will deal with me dealing with my grief on you. Have you seen a biotic in a crying fit before?" Jane demanded and Joker shut up. "It wasn't your fault...wishing we could do something...it won't change anything. He's gone. You leaving the bridge sooner or me being there would have changed nothing."

 

            _"Commander...you couldn't have changed anything,"_ Joker said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know...neither could you," she said. "How long will you be out of the seat?"

 

            _"Don't know, at least ten weeks,"_ he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'll be out of contact long enough for you to heal up, then I'll stop by for a visit," Jane said.

 

            _"Is that a threat?"_ Joker asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "You're a friend, Jeff, I would have come no matter," Jane said. "Is Dr. Chakwas there?"

 

            _"She's been in and out. I think she's been contacting friends who heard that the Normandy was...you know,"_ Joker said.

 

            "Let her know I send my regards, I'll be contacting her after I get out of deep cover too," Jane said as she was about to end the connection.

 

            _"Commander?"_ Joker asked and Jane paused.

 

            "Yes, Joker?" she asked and her gave her a look.

 

            _"Thank you,"_ he said.

 

            "You're welcome," she replied. After Joker hung she hesitated. This call would be the hardest to make, especially with Liara there. She steeled herself as they connected the transmission.

 

 _"Commander!"_ Ash cried as the comm screen lit up and the three survivors greeted Jane as she opened communications. Kaidan and Liara looked like hell.

 

            "Were you injured?" Jane asked.

 

            _"I got a few burns,"_ Ash stated.         

 

            _"Perfectly fine,"_ Kaidan said.

 

            _"No injuries,"_ Liara commented. They all stared at her, waiting and Jane closed her eyes. Liara gasped and Kaidan made a little choking sound.

 

            _"They can't know,"_ Ash whispered and Jane opened her eyes. She saw shock on all of their faces.

 

            "Joker made it," Jane said. "John got him to the pod, but the last hit knocked John free, he hit the emergency launch for Joker before being cast out of the Normandy."

 

 _"He could still be found!_ " Liara cried and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Early signs point to...to none of the missing surviving the attack," Jane said. "The last reading the VI had on John's omni-tool was that his suit was depressurizing quickly and his vitals were...he was..."

 

            _"Jane..."_ Kaidan whispered and Jane looked at him. Kaidan's deep brown eyes grounded Jane.

 

            "I will be out of contact. I was telling John when the attack occurred. Special Spectre deep cover. I'll be gone for approximately three months," Jane said and they all looked shocked.

 

            _"Shep..."_ Ash started and Jane shook her head.

 

            "John would expect me to do the right thing, I am needed for an operation that will save lives...lots of them. The chances of finding him..." Jane looked down.

 

            _"He will be found,"_ Liara stated as if she was planning on going out there herself to look and Jane shook her head.

 

            "The chances of finding him are low...we all know that," Jane said and the group was silent for a moment. "Councilor Anderson has agreed to take care of the paperwork in my absence. We all know that there is a month long period with ship explosions and body recovery missions where death is not allowed to be verified. We are already starting with negative life sign readings...the Alliance and Council will both announce after a month without body recovery that processing DIA accounts will begin. Anderson will take care of that for me. The investigations range from months to years...I am rather certain a mem...a memorial will be allowed not long after my mission is projected to end." 

 

            _"I'm not giving up on him,"_ Liara snapped and Jane looked up at the Asari before nodding.

 

            "Good...someone needs to be optimistic," Jane said. "Take the leave you will be given...go home...visit your sisters Ash...go back to Earth for a bit Kaidan. Heal, Liara."

 

            _"Call on us when you need us, Shep,"_ Ash said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Be well," Jane said, giving Kaidan a look. He stared at her for a moment before looking away. It hurt, but Jane saluted. They returned the motion and the screen went dark. Jane left the comm center and headed back to her cabin. She needed to think and maybe pray for Liara's faith in John.

 

~*TF*~

 

 Earth Date: November 24th, 2183 CE

Location: Classified Training Location

 

            The training facility belonged to Asari, but they knew the leader of the operation and were loaning it to her. Jane sat with several other Spectres, mostly Asari, but a few Turians and several Salarians were gathered together. An Asari stepped in front of the group.

 

            "Matriarch Taptos," an Asari next to Jane muttered and the Asari to the front gave her a look.

 

            "Welcome fellow Spectres, for those of you who do not know me, I am Niessa Taptos," she said. "I am a retired Spectre, but I was contacted by Irlis Phanni for this mission. I will let her explain." A second Asari approached, clearly younger, a deeper blue without facial markings, and much more nervous.

 

            "Hello, I am Doctor Irlis Phanni, first year Spectre. Many of you are wondering what the mission is and why you have been chosen," Irlis said before engaging the screen behind her. Barrels were being moved by a collection of mercenaries. "There has been an increase in the black market organ sales combined with a hike in missing persons." The room went still. "Red sand has become a large problem in Citadel space and we have reason to believe it is because of the Maws."

 

            "For those of you who do not know, after the Skylian Blitz there was a large jockeying of power in the gang world. Several large gangs were decimated during the Blitz by Alliance forces," Niessa said, giving Jane a nod. "However, the Maws are ruthless. They are currently led by a Krogan by the name of Thaeloc Bakau. He is one of the smart Krogan and so he rules from Omega."

 

            "Not T'Loak," an Asari near Jane groaned.

 

            "That's right, Tela," Niessa said. "Maws have been seen near areas where red sand has been found in large amounts but no evidence to connect them. They have also been spotted in the areas where disappearances have occurred and have been seen near the locations of black market surgeons."

 

            "We believe but have no proof that these are all connected. Our working theory is that Bakau rules the Maws from Omega, sending them in to get red sand addicts, when a junkie can't pay, they drag them in, take what they need, and get rid of the evidence," Irlis said.

 

            "Why so many Spectres?" a Turian by the wall asked and Niessa gave him a look.

 

            "This mission is spread out and the victims cross all Citadel races and classes. Several high profile individuals have gone missing and their red sand habits were well known secrets. It is feared the Maws may realize they have another money making opportunity on their hands, we want to stop that before it happens. Maws lurk in Citadel space as well as the Terminus, Bakau is smart, if he smells trouble, the Maws go into the Terminus, when they see we're not looking, they creep back. Bold, but careful."

 

            "What kind of coverage are we looking at?" a Salarian asked and Niessa smiled.

 

            "We're going to be setting up units in seven different areas," Irlis explained as a galactic map popped up. Seven icons flashed. "Seven teams means we need a mission control. So it will be a total of eight teams. The level of cover will be different, the highest level being the Omega team."

 

            "T'Loak is not unreasonable if you approach her and make your missions in her favor," Niessa explained. "She will allow us to help her remove Bakau. She deals red sand on Omega too, so him being out of the game removes competition and he has quite the following. T'Loak may be dirty, but she's not stupid. She is constantly on the lookout for someone who might become a threat to her personally."

 

            "For those of you who do not know, Aria T'Loak is the de facto ruler of the Omega station," Irlis explained and the image of an Asari with purple skin and facial markings appeared on the screen. "We have approached her asking for permission to have an undercover team on Omega. Those of you on the Omega team will have to introduce yourselves. She already knows we are after Bakau and why."

 

            "You told T'Loak?" a Turian female gasped.

 

            "Don't worry, Virethis, you're not on the Omega team," Niessa chuckled.

 

            "What will the teams be doing and why the deep cover?" another Salarian asked.

 

            "The teams in Citadel space will be focusing on the red sand distribution and the disappearances. The Terminus teams will be focusing on the black market surgeons and on Bakau," Niessa said.

 

            "Is that why we have so many fresh faces?" Tela asked, giving Jane a look and both Niessa and Irlis nodded.

 

            "Some of the newer Spectres are not well known," Niessa said giving Jane a look.

 

            "Some, not all," a Turian said and Jane simply stared at Niessa and Irlis.

 

            "Humans have advantages in disguise that most do not, the ability to alter their skin, hair, and eye color is one of the most useful abilities that humans have in deep cover operations. This mission will require all of us to alter our appearances, this week is about building your cover. You will learn your new identity so well you will have trouble remembering you are a Spectre," Niessa ordered.

 

            "Why a second week?" Tela asked.

 

            "Physical training, getting the right walk to pass as dancers, addicts, and other identities that are being passed out. Not too extensive," Irlis said.

 

            "I assume we are already assigned to our teams," a younger Asari said.

 

            "Yes, if you check your data tablets, your assignment should be under your alias," Irlis said and the group began to check. Jane looked down and read.

 

            Operative: Shepard, Jane                   

            Alias: Elaina Berger                           

            Team: Omega  

 

            Jane began to look over the plan for Omega Team and she frowned. Two Asari and herself would situate themselves into Afterlife as dancers, keeping to the areas where Bakau and his men liked to frequent. They would room together while a Salarian-Turian team would be backup and live alone. Jane stated at the assignment again. A dancer at Afterlife...it must be a joke but then Jane realized, she had a second week of physical training after she developed the history of Elaina Berger. She could only assume that meant a week of dance lessons. Her first thought was that John would laugh his lungs out if he heard she was tapped for a mission where she was going to have to be an exotic dancer. Greif gripped her and she fought the tears as she realized that wasn't going to happen.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 2nd, 2183 CE

Location: Classified

 

            Jane stared at herself in the mirror. She tugged on the jet black hair hanging in her face. A long-term temporary tattoo covered half her face hiding her rather well known scar. Her hair was laden with extensions, styled, and dyed, she looked different. The coloration of her skin was darker thanks to a lotion supplied by one of the Salarians. Jane almost didn't recognize herself, luckily she wasn't the only one. Both her Asari teammates had been put through the coloration alteration and one of them had to have her facial markings added onto.

 

            "Looking good Elaina ," Tela said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Well, Jalik knows how to work pigment augmentation," Jane said and Tela chuckled.

 

            "He's a clever one," Tela stated. "You going to entertain us with your dancing again?"

 

            "Watch it, Hearane," Jane shot back using Tela's cover name. "I've been practicing."

 

            "I can't wait to see this," Tela laughed.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 7th, 2183 CE

Location: Afterlife, Omega

 

            The team of five were dressed in clothing that kept them mostly unnoticed as they crossed the club flanked by two of Aria's men. They walked up to the sitting area.

 

            "So, here you are," Aria said as she looked over them. "Your boss does good work."

 

            "She says the same about you," Tela commented and Aria nodded.

 

            "You know the plan, you can play your game but you leave my people alone," she stated. "And if your boss didn't tell you, there is only one rule on Omega. Don't fuck with Aria."

 

            "Was not planning on it," Kavic stated and she chuckled.

 

            "Good, let me see my newest dancers," Aria ordered and Jane noticed the Batarian guards. She felt ill as she unzipped her jacket, letting it slide down her arms slowly. Tela and Nireen were doing the same thing. The Salarian and the Turian were grabbed by guards and brought away, probably being given their room assignments. Jane didn't focus on that as she bent in half, loosening her shoes with her legs straight and her face almost touching her shins. The boots she was wearing unhooked and Jane slowly got up and as she stood she pulled the zipper on her dress down from under her chin. Her dress opened to reveal a classic, sleazy dancer outfit. Tela and Nireen were both stripping down to their dancing outfits. Jane activated her biotics, making her look like she was underwater as she began to dance to the beat. Tela and Nireen began to dance together as only Asari could seem to do. "Not bad, nice trick, human. What's your name?"

 

            "Elaina ...Elaina Berger," Jane said and Aria nodded.

 

            "Well, you three will have to work your way up, you're starting downstairs, collect your things and Grizz will show you where to stow it," Aria instructed.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 22nd, 2184 CE

Location: Harrot's, Omega

 

            Jane looked at Harrot's goods, her fingers playing over items like she was looking to purchase. She dropped the OSD behind a box before heading out. She saw Kavic approaching in his usual, Turian-scumbag outfit. He fingered the box as Jane headed out. Tela waved at Jane and Jane quickly ran up to Tela. The information was off to the Maw Taskforce headquarters. Jane was watching the crowd when for a moment she thought she saw Liara in the crowd. The shape of the face, the coloration, being around Asari as much as she was, there was no way Jane could mistake that face. She was about to follow when someone slipped a hand around her waist.

 

            "You look so cute when you're window shopping," Tela giggled, the arm around Jane's waist giving a slight squeeze.

 

            "You Asari as so grabby," Jane giggled back, flicking her long hair, she tried to see where Liara went but Tela squeezed her. Jane looked at her partner. Tela nodded, her eyes flickering to where a collection of Maws were looking at them. The Afterlife Spectre dancers were becoming a favorite of Bakau's ever since Nireen had given him a lap dance.

 

            "You know you love it when we brush barriers," Tela whispered.

 

            "You just want me because you know I only sleep with humans," Jane replied and Tela actually laughed.

 

            "Xenophobe," she accused, pushing Jane away so she could keep a hand near her hip, just in case the Maws got too friendly.

 

            _"This up in Alliance failures. The missing members of the crew of the SSV Normandy have finally been declared killed in action. Most notably the first human male Spectre, John Shepard,"_ the Batarian reporter said over the PA system news feed and Jane kept walking.

 

            "You ever want to talk," Tela commented quietly and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I already knew," Jane said. "They had the vital readings from the last few moments."

 

            "Still, it never hurts to drink till you don't feel anything," Tela chuckled and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Rather keep my head in the game, but thanks, Hearane," Jane said and Tela nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 25th, 2184 CE

Location: Afterlife, Omega

 

            Jane was dancing for Bakau and his top Maws, her body undulating for the music like he enjoyed.

 

            "Do the light show," he barked and Jane gave him a wink, her omni-tool beeping as the Maws tipped her. Jane wrapped around the pole and sent her biotics flickering over her skin.

 

            "You humans are so close to Asari, just with less of the commitment," Bakau laughed.

 

            "They can be just as flexible," one of the henchmen purred and Jane caught a look at the time. Across space at this moment each team was closing in on Maw strongholds. She counted down and as she twirled around the pole a pistol dropped into her hand as Tela and Nireen dropped from the ceiling in full armor. Jane brought up her barrier as the three began to shoot from the stage. The Krogan jerked as they were hit again and again. Kavic and Malall kicked open the door and began shooting from the side. The firing continued for a minute at least before the Spectres stopped. Jane stayed back as Kavic began shooting each corpse in the head and spine.

 

            "That is one big, orange puddle," Jane stated and Nireen nodded.

 

            "Let's get out of here," Tela stated.

 

            "Let me get changed first," Jane replied as she headed toward the dressing room.

 

            "Are you sure, I rather like that outfit," Malall stated.

 

            "Seriously, Salarians like humans?" Jane asked and Malall grinned.

 

            "Some do," he said with a wink and Jane chuckled as she continued to go and change.

 

~*TF*~

 

            On a ship back to Citadel space, Jane stepped out of her shower. Special soaps had been provided that removed the facial tattoo, the hair dye, and the skin discoloration. Jane looked at her face, running her fingers through her hair, it was longer, but normal for her, she would need a trim once she got back to the Citadel.

 

            "I never thought that damn tattoo would come off," Jane muttered to herself as she stared at her reflection. She got dressed in casual clothes before beginning her calls. The first was to David Anderson.

 

            _"Shepard, good to see you. The report on the Maw Taskforce shows that you managed to decimate the gang. Their red sand production sites have been destroyed and their surgeons have all been either arrested or eliminated,"_ he said and Jane nodded. _"But that's not what you were calling me about."_

 

            "Did they recover John?" Jane asked and David shook his head.

 

            " _I'm sorry, Jane. The Normandy has been lost, by the time search ships got there, all evidence was lost to space,"_ he said and Jane nodded. _"I have been in contact with Mindoir, they wish to hold his memorial."_ Jane blinked, she honestly could not remember the last time she had been home.

 

            "That would be the best place for it," Jane said.

 

            _"Most of the arrangements have been put together, they are waiting for your approval to begin and to set the date,"_ David said and Jane nodded.

 

            "If you could let them know, I plan to debrief and then..." Jane paused.

 

            _"I will put everything in motion. I will see you at the debriefing,"_ he said.

 

            "Thank you, Councilor," Jane said.

 

            " _I think you have earned the right to call me David,"_ he said and Jane smiled.

 

            _"Thank you, David,"_ she said. After the call ended she took a moment to gather herself. Then she made her next call, to Kaidan.

 

            _"Jane..."_ he said as he appeared on the screen. His eyes were dark and he looked tired.

 

            "Am I calling you at a bad time?" Jane asked and he shook his head.

 

            _"Just had a migraine today,"_ he said as he looked at her. He was naked from the waist up and Jane wanted to feel him. To wrap around him and let the world fall apart. She would be fine as long as she had Kaidan. _"How have you been?"_

 

            "Successful, we completed our mission. We've saved a lot of people," Jane said and Kaidan stared at her. "It made it easier."

 

            _"When are you getting back to Alliance space?"_ Kaidan asked and Jane looked down.

 

            "I have to debrief with the Council and the taskforce, by the time I finish I will be heading to Mindoir...I...we...there will be a memorial...for John," Jane said and looked at Kaidan. He looked stricken. "Will you be there? For me?" Kaidan looked at her.

 

            _"I...send me the date, the time...I'll do my best to be there,"_ he said and Jane was relieved, she could make it if Kaidan was there. _"How are you doing?"_

 

            "It was easy on the mission," Jane said. "I was so busy trying to be someone else, I didn't have time to think about it too long. Being off of it...having to plan...it makes it all real again."

 

            _"I'm sorry, Jane,"_ Kaidan said.

 

            "It's not your fault, Kaidan, it’s the fault of whoever attacked the Normandy," Jane said.

 

            _"I should have made him come with us,"_ Kaidan said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "There was no way you could have forced John to do anything. I know that," Jane said. For a moment an awkward silence fell between them. "I love you, Kaidan."

 

            _"I love you too, Jane,"_ Kaidan said.

 

            "I have to make a few more calls, I'm just glad...glad that I heard your voice," she said and he looked at her. "Feel better."

 

            Some calls went through others did not. Garrus was able to pick up, he agreed to be on Mindoir. Wrex was taking over his tribe in Tuchunka but he would try and make it to the service, if he got the Urdnots under control before he left. Tali was out of range for immediate contact, Ash was on a mission, and Joker was out of reach. Then she made the hardest call yet.

 

            " _Ah Jane, you're done with your mission I take it,"_ Liara said when the comm window opened and Jane nodded.

 

            "A success, we saved a lot of lives from a lot of bad people," Jane said and Liara nodded.

 

            _"As I would expect from a Shepard,"_ she said.

 

            "When did you set up on Illium?" Jane asked and Liara looked to the side.

 

            _"I've started a new profession, but enough about me. How long have you been back?"_ Liara asked and Jane missed the shift in conversation.

 

            "I'm on route to the Citadel from the location," Jane said and Liara blinked.

 

            _"Why are you contacting me?"_ she asked and Jane was a little stunned by Liara's cold shoulder.  

 

            "I'm setting up John's memorial," Jane said. "I'd like you to be there." Liara stared at her.

 

            _"You retrieved his body?"_ she asked carefully.

 

            "No...search teams found nothing," Jane said.

 

            _"Then, I won't go,"_ Liara said dismissively and Jane paused.

 

            "You won't go..." Jane was stunned. "Why?"

 

            _"Because until you bury a body, John Shepard will not be dead to me,"_ Liara said and Jane stared.

 

            "Liara..." Jane stared.

 

            _"I am very busy, Commander,"_ Liara dismissed.

 

            "I thought you loved my brother!" Jane hissed.

 

            _"As I thought you did as well,"_ Liara retorted and Jane was aghast.

 

            "Never accuse me of not loving my brother, T'Soni. My brother was my whole world. His death is not up for debate," Jane said and Liara looked at her.

 

            _"Then you should be sure of his death before burying him. I'm sorry but I must go,"_ Liara stated and cut the connection. Jane stared at the screen, her biotics flicking from rage. She wanted to hit something. Hard.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: March 1st, 2184 CE

Location: Karpyshyn, Mindoir

 

            Jane was miserable. She sat in dress uniform on the dais before the very large, conspicuous object under a sheet. For the life of her, Jane could not figure out what the statue beneath the sheet was, but it was big and not human shaped. A Mindoir politician was giving a speech about John, the fourth one, and then Jane's turn was up. Kaidan, Joker, Wrex, Ash, and Garrus sat in the front row. Dr. Chakwas was in the third, various crew members from the Normandy were in the others. The Council was on the other side of the podium. The man finished and eyes moved to Jane. She walked up to the podium and took a breath.

 

            "A little known fact is that my parents were not expecting twins until the third trimester. John's heartbeat was so strong that it hid my second beat. I am convinced John's heart was his strongest organ. He was so fearless and strong. My earliest memories were of John, holding my hand, leading me on adventures, and sharing a bed in our prefab unit before the farm was built. One of the most well hidden facts is that John was going to be a farmer, he was a born colonist. Mindoir was his dream, he even proposed to his girlfriend at sixteen." Jane smiled at the memory of telling John off.

 

            "It seems so strange for a galactic hero to have his original dream to spend his life on one planet without leaving. I don't think he ever thought he was going to end up a hero. His heart was originally set on Mindoir but after the attack, he dedicated his heart to protecting others. He was strong enough so he was going to fight for those who could not," Jane said. "John's heart grew stronger as we grew older. He cared about his men, he cared about his missions, and he cared about making the galaxy a better place." Jane stopped as the tears welled. She took a breath.

 

            "John died doing what he did best, following his heart. He was making sure his crew was safe because he loved our crew. My brother would not want people making him into a martyr, he would want them making him into a role model. A true leader does not leave men behind, a true leader saves those he cares about, a true leader does what must be done. John is...was...the best example of a leader. I can only hope I live up to his memory," Jane finished and sat down. A much shorter speech, but many seemed to approve. The mayor of the city approached the podium.

 

            "In honor of John Shepard, we have made a memorial for the most important colonists to come from Mindoir," he said and the sheet was removed. Jane was horrified but kept her face still. The reason the statue had not looked human was because it was two humans. John and Jane stood in marble form, back to back, John holding an assault rifle on an invisible enemy while Jane held a sniper rifle, gazing into the scope just far enough away to be inaccurate, but close enough that it was clear the positioning was to keep her face recognizable. In front of each of their feet was a box. "This statue is a memorial for both our heroes. John Shepard faces to the East, towards Meer, the birthplace of Mindoir, his tomb waiting for the day we find his remains to house him. Jane Shepard faces to the West, towards Hale, the gateway to Mindoir. This statue recognizes the first human Spectres and their home, Mindoir." The man droned on as Jane looked at her face and then at John's. A memorial that would act like a burial plot. The thought was kind but it disturbed Jane that her grave was already waiting for her. John's sarcophagus lay empty, hoping for a body to house, Jane's was ready for her. She felt ill as the assembled people began to clap, at least her companions from the Normandy seemed to detect her disturbed mood.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The farm was much like it was when they lived on Mindoir. Jane had only come back a handful of times. The folks who rented the property had set up a prefab on the other side from the Shepard house. They maintained the house so it looked clean. Jane walked through the living room, aware that select visitors were coming, most of the surviving Normandy crew was shipping off, but her closest friends were going to be there soon. She had opened all the windows first, letting the fresh air fill the house with scents of Mindoir's spring. She looked at the mantle. They hadn't had the heart to change it when they had first returned after the attack. Holos of John and Jane showed them in various ages. Jane moved to stare at them.

 

            Infant John was wrapped protectively around her infant self. A teenage John was holding up his fish and glaring at the larger one Jane was displaying. Showing off their licenses when they were old enough. The two of them hanging in a tree by their knees, bellies exposed as they giggled and pointed at the camera. The last was one Jane felt her heart break a little over. John must have brought it home...their N7 graduation. They had ended up pinning their N7 pins onto each other since they had no one else to do so. Their team had laughed but it was a good memory.

 

            "Knock knock," Garrus' flange called and Jane wiped her eyes before turning.

 

            "Welcome, come in," Jane said as she turned to watch them open the door. Wrex and Garrus were the first ones in. The Krogan quick to study the room while Garrus approached.

 

            "It was an...interesting memorial," he said.

 

            "Talk about being morbid," Ash hissed.

 

            "The statue looked nice," Joker attempted and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I wish they told me about that," Jane said as Ash approached and hugged her. Jane sighed.

 

            "I am sorry, Shep," Ash said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I still can't believe he's gone," Jane said.

 

            "Where's Liara?" Joker asked and Jane glared at the floor.

 

            "She informed me that unless John's body is found, she does not accept his death, so I would say she is well into denial," Jane stated.

 

            "Oh," Joker stated before moving to look around. Kaidan approached but he said nothing. Jane reached for him and he took her hand but he was stiff.

 

            "I heard Spectres wiped out the Maws in a big covert mission. Shepard, did you hear anything about that?" Wrex asked and Jane fought a smile at the former mercenary's prodding.

 

            "Sounds like your kind of party, Wrex," Jane said and he chuckled.

 

            "So this is where the Shepard twins grew up...I don't know, I was expecting more guns and less...what are those animals out there?" Garrus asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Those are Hornchins. Mom and Dad came here independently, they met on Mindoir. They ended up starting off with a prefab unit, once they had the funds, they built this house," Jane said.

 

            "Oh my God, look at you!" Ash laughed as she looked at the mantle. "You guys were always together." Jane nodded.

 

            "They let you pin your N7 pins on each other?" Joker asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "We didn't have anyone else," Jane explained.

 

            "When was the last time you came home?" Garrus asked and Jane looked at the N7 holo.

 

            "Before that was taken. John wanted to settle down here...he shouldn't have reenlisted. Idiot," Jane said.

 

            "What do you mean?" Joker asked.

 

            "John wanted this farm. Before the attack he was planning on staying here for life. He didn't know about my biotics. He should have stayed here, married some colonist girl..." Jane sighed.

 

            "He stayed because he wouldn't settle down until you did," Kaidan said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know..." she said, a pang of guilt tugged at her heart and she wondered if she was the reason John hadn't returned to the farm.

 

            "I brought some ryncol," Wrex said.

 

            "Some days, I'm very glad to be dextro," Garrus stated. "I'll drink my own." Jane collected glasses and sat them on the table.

 

            "Too bad Chakwas had to ship out," Joker muttered.

 

            "To Shepard, he could charge almost as good as a Krogan," Wrex said.

 

            "To John, may he be driving his mako over clouds in human heaven," Garrus said.

 

            "To the Commander, who saved each of us," Ash added.

 

            "To the Commander, who put others first," Kaidan said.

 

            "To the Commander," Joker said.

 

            "To my older brother..." Jane said, fighting the tremble in her voice. "...by fourteen minutes. Tell Mom and Dad, I've got the farm." Their glasses hit and they drank. And then all but Wrex and Garrus were gagging.

 

            Most of the group left a few hours later after some more drinks, Kaidan remaining as Jane cleaned the dishes before joining him on the couch. She curled up against his side but he was still stiff. Jane wanted to cling to him, instead she touched his shoulder.

 

            "What's up with you?" Jane asked. Kaidan pulled back and looked at her.

 

            "Jane, how can you do this?" he asked and Jane sat back and stared at him.

 

            "Do what?" she asked.

 

            "Embrace me," he said, he was looking at her hands, not her eyes. Pain hit Jane's heart, his curt behavior lately, his stiffness, he was so distant, oh God, not now.

 

            "Kaidan...I love you," Jane said and he got up, running a hand through his hair.

 

            "It's my fault, Jane," Kaidan said and Jane got up and caught his shoulder.

 

            "Kaidan, you couldn't do anything...no one could have stopped this," Jane said and he pulled away.

 

            "I knew I should have grabbed him and dragged him in to the pod," Kaidan said. "I might as well have killed him myself. My inaction caused this."

 

            "That's not true, Kaidan, no one could have made John do anything he didn't have his mind set on," Jane said and Kaidan looked her in the eyes. He was in agony and Jane wondered if she was mirroring his expression.

 

            "You could have. You could have made sure he got on the pod. I should have used your name to bring him with me. Guilted him into leaving for you," Kaidan said, his hand lifted like he wanted to touch her but he paused, guilt filling his eyes. His head dropped and Jane felt her heart break a little more. She couldn't assume she could have stopped John for going after Joker. They both adored the pilot, saving him would have been both their priorities, hell, she probably would have done the same damn thing in John's place.

 

            "That wouldn't have stopped him. Hell, Liara was in the pod, if she wasn't enough motivation to leave, then I couldn't be either," Jane said and Kaidan looked at her.

 

            "I failed you either way, Jane. I didn't save him and I couldn't help you in anyway," he said.

 

            "I was in deep cover, Kaidan," Jane started and he stopped her with a look.

 

            "You don't deserve a failure like me," he said and for a moment Jane wanted to grab him, to demand he stay, but he was clearly broken up about it. She had no right to try and guilt him into staying with her.  

 

            "What are you saying, Kaidan," Jane asked, wanting him to put it in words. The pain was back, almost as bad as losing John.  

 

            "You deserve someone better than me and I'm letting you free to find them," he said. "I'm sorry I failed you." He headed to the door. Jane stared at it long after he closed it behind him.

  
~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: March 15th, 2184 CE

Location: Port Lerama, Hetiana

 

            "Thank you so much for coming, Commander!" the Asari scientist said with a wide grin as she approached the dock Jane was walking down. "I've been looking forward to meeting you for weeks."

 

            "Irlis is a fine Spectre, when she asked, I decided to hear you out," Jane said and the Asari grinned before offering her hand.

 

            "Doctor Trazia Selessi, a pleasure," the Asari said. Jane guessed her age to put her in the matron stage.

 

            "Nice to meet you, Dr. Selessi," Jane said as they shook hands.

 

             "When Dr. T'soni told us that you were capable of understanding Prothean we knew we needed your help," Trazia said and Jane nearly froze.

 

            "Liara told you about me?" Jane asked and Trazia did freeze.

 

            "I'm sorry, I've been told you had a falling out with Dr. T'soni, but I really need your help Commander!" Trazia said and Jane could see the panic on the doctor's face. Jane paused. Was it fair for her to take out her displeasure of Liara on the poor doctor who just needed Jane's help? John wouldn't approve.

 

            "Don't worry, Dr. Selessi, it is a private matter between myself and Dr. T'soni," Jane said and the Asari looked relieved.

 

            "Thank the Goddess, I was worried that you wouldn't help me and I need someone to do so desperately," Trazia said.

 

            "I don't know what to tell you. A Prothean beacon scarred my brain, but I can understand them and their writing for the most part now," Jane said and Trazia nodded.

 

            "That was what T'soni said. This way," she said as she opened a door with a code. Jane was amazed by the collection of beacons. "Now, for the older beacons, I believe they may be instructional markers for the Citadel..."

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane let the twentieth beacon lift her up. Again she was presented a message, this time it was a troop command.

 

            "Combat instructions," Jane said as she dropped back to the ground and Trazia wrote down frantically. "They were at war with...something. The enemy looked large, dangerous, not like Krogan in appearance, but ferocity levels were about right."

 

            "Hmmm, do you think it was an uplifting gone wrong?" she asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "More like a bad first contact, but unlike with humans, once communication was made, there were no peace talks, just more insistent fighting. I got the impression of cutting off their satellites and colonies in system," Jane said and Trazia nodded.

 

            "Even though these contain so little information, what you have supplied me with in just a few hours is more than I've discovered on my own in a century. Thank you, Commander," she said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'm glad to help," she said, maybe the Protheans would have something about the Reapers...it couldn't just be two beacons and Ilos.

 

            "Would it be possible for some of my fellows and myself to contact you for your help?" Trazia asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "As long as I'm not on mission, I wouldn't mind being of help for historians like yourself," Jane said and Trazia beamed like a child told she was getting a puppy.

 

            "Oh thank you, Commander," she said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Since we may be meeting more often, call me Jane," Jane said and Trazia grinned.

 

            "Trazi," she said and the two smiled before moving on to the next beacon.

 

            Jane left the next day with the contact information with nearly fifty Prothean experts in her omni-tool. She would need to set strict rules about borrowing her for translation projects.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 11th, 2184 CE

Location: Temporary Housing, Citadel

 

            Jane sat in the hotel room, since her return from her deep cover mission she had completed one other Spectre mission, three Prothean consults, and two Alliance missions, one Mindoir Review and the other a combat mission with Batarian slavers. The Alliance spoke of promotion while the Council spoke of more missions. Jane had almost missed the date, if Anderson hadn't made a comment to her, she never would have realized it was the eleventh. Messages from friends and companions pinged on her omni-tool but she didn't respond. A glass of vodka sat on the table next to her, she was drinking from it as she watched traffic crawl along the ward. She stared at her omni-tool for a moment before opening the recorder.

 

            "Happy Birthday, John, and Happy Birthday to me...it's my first one alone. Not that we were able to get together for many of them since Mindoir, but it's the first one I won't hear your voice bragging about being older. I miss you John. A lot has happened in the time since you died. I've gone up the ranks in the Spectre world. Nothing quite as impressive as taking out Saren and stopping Sovereign, but good work, David's been keeping me busy on both Spectre and Alliance fronts. Guess having two of us was more useful than just one.

 

            "Hackett keeps trying to get me in Fifth Fleet, but I've manage to dodge him so far. I don't want to be with Fifth...it reminds me of Elysium and the Battle of the Citadel. Both battles remind me of you. I keep thinking that if I go to places where I've found you...that you'll be there. The farm, the forest where we fought those slavers, Elysium, Eden Prime...like it's a big game of Hide and Go Seek. I just haven't found you yet. That's the worse part of a space death. Bodies go floating off...never to be found. Liara doesn't help. She won't accept you are gone until your death is verified. It makes me wish I was like her... I want to believe I'll find you. Hiding someplace. Olly Olly Oxen Free, John. Where are you?" Jane paused.

 

            "I miss you. I miss you so much and today brought it in hard. You were home to me, John. I know how the Quarians feel now. Searching for a home they can never find. It's a horrible feeling, but I can't give in to it. Some days though. I just want to give in and wallow in the sorrow. I keep busy. I plan to sign up for everything they let me and then some, make sure to keep me at the top of their lists. I felt like the world ended when that call did, John.

 

            "The thing I worry about most is..." Jane felt the tears. "...were you calling out for me when you died, John? Were you scared? Did it hurt? Did you suffer? Could I have saved you? I don't think I will ever forgive myself for not being there. It's a heavy burden still being alive...knowing that now, I need to make the most of it. I have to live twice as much now. I cannot give in." Jane stared into the recording lens.

 

            "I make a solemn vow to you, John that I will not give up. I will keep going. I will keep fighting. No matter what situation I am in, from now until my last breath. I will fight until I have nothing left and then, I'll fight some more to come out of every conflict I'm in, to live because you didn't get to. I will keep going...I promise you," Jane said before turning off the recording. She would start keeping logs, for John. 

 

~*TF*~

 

            Several hours later, her door buzzed and Jane blinked as she got up. She was in her civilian clothes still and grabbed her pistol as she approached the door. John would have called her paranoid, but she didn't trust anyone lately, not since Kaidan walked out. "Who is it?"

 

            _"_ Just your friendly neighborhood C-Sec officer checking in on his favorite Alliance Commander slash Spectre _,"_ Garrus' voice called out. Jane blinked, she had finished the vodka and was working on a bottle of wine.

 

            "Garrus?" she asked, it was a pretty stupid question.

 

            _"_ Wait, are you hanging around with other C-Sec officers? _"_ he asked, playing a hurt tone, and Jane blinked dumbly before opening the door. He grinned at her and held out a box. "Dr. Michel swears that this is the best thing to get for a woman's birthday. She said chocolate was the safe way to go." Jane took the box, it was from a bakery down the street.

 

            "What is it?" Jane slurred.

 

            "Are you drunk, Shepard?" Garrus asked, looking at the table. Jane followed his eyes to the remains of her dinner. The minibar was empty, the bottle of wine was standing like a mother goose with a flock of tiny liquor bottle babies. Perhaps she had gone overboard.

 

            "Yes," Jane said as she opened the box. A tiny one serving cake was inside with a picture of a sniper rifle in frosting on top. Alliance blue frosting.

 

            "Hell of a way to spend your birthday if you ask me," Garrus commented.

 

            "Well, I did meet with the Council too," Jane said and he blinked.

 

            "So I heard," Garrus stated. "How have you been?"

 

            "Garrus, not right now," Jane said and Garrus gave her a look.

 

            "Tali says you haven't contacted her, Ash is worried, Kaidan won't return my calls, Joker seems to have vanished, and Liara won't talk about John at all," he said. "What's going on, Shepard?" Jane gave him a look.

 

            "They called off the Reaper investigation, Garrus," Jane said. "The Council's birthday present to me is to stop looking for the biggest threat to the galaxy." Garrus froze.

 

            "Well...that's a mistake," he said.

 

            "Anderson is fighting, but the other three are just pretending like what John and I worked so hard to prove was just a fluke," Jane sighed. "I'm sorry, Garrus, I'm just in no state to talk about this..." Garrus stared at Jane a moment.

 

            "If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me," he said and Jane chuckled.

 

            "I don't know if I'll ever want to talk about this," she said.

 

            "Still, Happy Birthday, Shepard," Garrus said before leaving. Jane looked at the cake.

 

            The next morning when Jane actually got to eating after her hangover, the cake was quite good.   

           

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 14th, 2184 CE

Location: Spectre Training Facility, Citadel

 

            "Welcome to the Spectre Hand to Hand Combat Training," the female Turian in the front of the training room greeted the forty Spectres in the room. Jane was near the front of the group. She had been sent the invitation by Tela who was in the back with a couple other Asari. "For those that don't know me, I'm Naena Sansis, I'll be leading this training. This was designed especially for our biotic Spectres since many times biotics tend to get a bit lazy." Jane did not care for that attitude.

 

            "This training will take about eight days and by the end it will leave you with a few tricks to help you biotics prove your worth in the hand to hand arena. To begin I would like to introduce you to my two assistants," Naena looked at the back door. "Come in, boys." Two massive Krogan entered the training hall. "These are my students Padrak and Narloc of Clan Honak. They are twin brothers and two of the toughest sons of bitches I've ever fought against."

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was in the ring with Padrak. He was grinning as he looked at her. The twins were identical except for their scars. Both had an almost lilac color to their natural body armor with a gray tone to their skin, but both had the most amazing teal colored eyes. They were both covered in scars, Padrak had one on his chin that looked like a gunshot with a nasty looking pair of slashes over his throat. How he survived, Jane almost didn't want to know.

 

            "You're that human Spectre," he purred and Jane nodded as she looked at him.

 

            "I hear you're a decent biotic," he stated and Jane nodded again. "Let's see how well you dodge!" He roared as he charged her. It was a move she saw from John. With a practiced throw, Jane threw herself into the air. The Krogan blinked as she flipped and landed on his hump. She quickly caught a hand hold on his armor. She aimed an elbow at his neck and was pleased when she made contact, but it wasn't strong enough as Padrak began to shake.

 

            "Get off of me, pyjak!" he roared as he began to twist trying to shake Jane. She desperately held onto his armor, attempting to kick his back. Her feet grazing hard armor.

 

            "You're not going to beat a Krogan doing that," Naena called from the spectator area. Jane struggled to keep on as Padrak began swearing. Jane was in a shit position and she knew it. She quickly lifted herself up, her hands nearly slipping, with a minor adjustment her legs were around Padrak's throat. She constricted as he clawed at her legs. It hurt, but it wasn't going to get her to let go. She kept one hand on his head plate and the other on his armor. Padrak thrashed for a moment before smacking her leg twice. Jane released and quickly dropped next to him. He glared at her a moment as he rubbed his neck.

 

            "Not bad...for a human biotic," he stated and Naena nodded at Jane.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Congrats, Jane, you get to be in the advanced group," Tela grinned as they broke for dinner. Jane had been thrown around by Padrak for every demonstration he gave and she suspected it was because she was the only female who made him tag out. One Salarian and two Turians were able to get him to tag out, but all three were male.

 

            "Oh joy, personal training with Naena," Jane said and Tela nodded.

 

            "She might be a tough old boot but she's known for being one of the best hand to hand combatants in the Spectres. She's received accolades for honor and valor from both Palaven and the Council," Tela stated and Jane looked over at the Turian as she ate with the two Krogans.

 

            "They are a weird bunch," Jane said and Tela nodded.

 

            "Naena saved the two when they were children from a group of mercenaries. Their mother was kidnapped from a warlord's clan. They didn't realize she was pregnant and when the twins were born they realized they were never going to escape his wrath. They hid on the Citadel with the three captives. Naena was on a mission as a C-Sec officer, found the two in the mercenary stronghold. Got the three out, tracked down their father, brought them back to Tuchanka with their mother. She was awarded something from the clan. Twenty years later the two show up demanding to be her right and left hands," Tela stated and Jane stared at her.

 

            "Are you serious?" she asked and Tela nodded.

 

            "That was thirty years ago," Tela said. "Those two Krogan are still considered kids, but if they wanted to, they could be leading a clan, instead they are guarding their favorite Turian. I bet their father hates that."

 

            "I am not looking forward to training with Naena," Jane said.

 

            "She's a bitch to fight, but when she's done with you, you'll be back for another one of her training sessions. She doesn't do as much Spectre work since her grandchildren were born, but she comes to the Citadel rather regularly to do trainings," Tela said.

 

            By the end of the week, Jane was a believer in Naena.  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 22nd, 2184 CE

Location: In Transit

 

            "Well John, I just got a call today," Jane said as she sipped her seven and seven. "You bought a house...on Earth. Somehow I should have known you would do something so impulsive on our shore leave on Earth and never mention it to me." She sat back and looked at the recorder.

 

            "I decided to keep it. I don't know why, I'm never going to live there. I used some of your shares of the mining rights we got from your mineral tags during the Saren mission to pay the contractors who were fixing up your initial repairs.

 

            "They're going to renovate it completely now that the structural damage has been fixed. Your house will have a new roof, including the latest solar panels, fresh anti-weathering siding, and the newest appliances with the best consumer ratings. I hope you don't mind that I chose your interior, Alliance and Asari blues...because that is what you would have chosen. Once they are done I might furnish it...I might not. I don't know yet. It is going to take a while since you had to live in the middle of nowhere. The contractors were just thankful you had coordinates in your directions.

 

            "It made me both smile and sad," Jane said as she put her drink down to look in the recorder. "You doing something impulsive and me standing back to watch your back...how many more of these surprises are left now, John?" She shut down the entry and headed to bed.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 30th, 2184 CE

Location: Gilroy, Fehl Prime

 

            Jane got out of the transport, a line of marines stood waiting for her. The officer approached in a wheelchair.

 

            "Commander Shepard?" he asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Captain Toni?" she replied and he nodded. She saluted and he chuckled.

 

            "Welcome to Fehl Prime," he said and Jane quickly began looking around.

 

            "Not too much damage from the Blood Pack," Jane said.

 

            "The main structure was barely hit, we lost several good men and women on the defensive," Toni said and Jane nodded.

 

            "My apologizes, I was surveying the physical damage to the colony," she said and he waved a hand.

 

            "This is my crew, we managed to take the Blood Pack down," Toni said. Jane looked at the marines, saluting them. They returned the salute. Six of them stood at attention. A tall man with a scar on his face, a shorter man with glasses, a woman with dark hair, a tall man with blond hair, a pale man with dark hair, and a huge mountain of a man that had his hair up in a faux hawk. Jane paused on him, on his chest was an emblem. The Forever Normandy symbol stared back at her. She had had the emblem made to support a charity, it had taken some of the mining rights. The mining rights could keep Jane set for life, but she let them grow in their accounts, giving some up here and there. The Forever Normandy fund helped the families of those who had died in the Normandy attack, Jane didn't need it so she made sure the losts' families were taken care of. Her eyes lingered on it for a moment before she turned to look at the colony.

 

            "Do you have a projector to show me how the attack occurred?" Jane asked and Toni nodded.

 

            "This way," he said.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane studied the attack reports before she approached the marines in the next room.

 

            "Alright marines, do you know why I'm here?" Jane asked and they nodded.

 

            "You're updating the Mindoir Review," the big one said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Have you read it?" she asked, the big one, the one with glasses, and the woman nodded. "It is the leading guide for colony attack. It addresses the methods of attack on colonies. As it has been expanded it gives a guide for identifying mercenary groups and supplies recommended tactics for defending from them. The Blood Pack is a rising merc group, made up of mostly Krogans with Vorcha stock troops. They are well named."

 

            "So you're looking to update tactics for the Mindoir Review," the blond summarized and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Nothing is ever simple, I am also here to study the Blood Pack for both Alliance and Citadel sources and to start assessing their threat level," Jane explained and was surprised when several of them began to giggle. Jane stared at them a second. "I'm missing the joke."

 

            "It's not that, ma'am," the big one said. She looked at him. "Lieutenant Vega, James Vega, ma'am. I quoted that before we were hit." Jane blinked, he flushed, a fan, on the plus side, he wasn't creepy like Conrad.

 

            "Ah," Jane said. "Back to the point. The Blood Pack is rising up the ranks from a chaotic nuisance into a serious threat, knowing how they hit a colony is essential and will help the Mindoir Review keep colonists safe while analyzing the attack will give the Alliance and Citadel peacekeepers insight."

 

            "How do we help?" the pale, dark hair man asked and Jane noted his sniper rifle.

 

            "I'm going to interview you one-by-one over the next several days to learn what I need to learn about what you experienced. Once I'm done with you, I'll evaluate the colony, make recommendations on Fehl Prime's security, then I update the Mindoir Review and report on the Blood Pack to both Alliance and Citadel personnel," Jane said.

 

            "Alone time with you Commander, sounds like fun," the blond said and Jane looked at him for a moment.

 

            "How long did it take you to kill those Krogan?" Jane asked and they paused. "Because my record is twenty seconds." His face dropped and Jane kept her face stone cold. "One-on-one. We will begin tomorrow." She smirked once her back was completely to the uppity young marines. Sometimes being a legend in her own time had its amusements, they were few and far between, but she took her pleasure where she could these days.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: May 1st, 2184 CE

Location: Gilroy, Fehl Prime

 

            The interviews were going well and Jane was rather impressed with the work of Delta Squad. She needed only to gather Lieutenant Vega and Captain Toni's reports and she was done with the interview process. Then it was on to analyzing the colony to see how to best build a basic defensive procedure. She was finishing her notes, Vega and Toni's interviews would probably have little effect on her recommendations, those would rely on her visual assessments. Jane headed out of her temporary office and entered the elevator.

 

            "Hold that!" a voice called and Jane put out a hand to hold the door. Lieutenant Vega entered and paused before nodding. "Thanks, Lola."

 

            "No problem," she said as she pressed the button to the ground floor before blinking. "Lola?"

 

            "It's my thing, I give people nicknames, helps me remember them," he said and Jane was stunned. He needed help to remember her, was she mistaken for thinking he was a fan.

 

            "Lola, huh?" she asked.

 

            "You kind of look like a Lola," he said and Jane smirk in amusement. John would have loved to hear her called Lola. She kept her eyes forward but she studied James. The Lieutenant was a large man, based on the interviews, he had gone head to head with Archuk, a move that would have impressed John. Hell, John would have loved the man, it was clear James had the potential for joining the best, Jane wouldn't be surprised to learn he got tapped for N7...in fact, she might even start whispering in some of the right ears depending on what she learned from his interview tomorrow. James's actions on Fehl Prime were courageous, if in his next few years he demonstrated the leadership skills necessary, she would be more than willing to write him a recommendation letter.

 

            "So, you're not getting us done today?" he asked and she shook her head as she looked up at him.

 

            "No, you and your Captain are tomorrow and then I'll take a hoverbike around the colony to figure out the best defensive measures," Jane said.

 

            "Hoverbike?" James asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Looking at holos and maps are nothing like looking at it in person," she explained, pulling up a map on her omni-tool and pointing at it to James. "You can tell me that that hill blocks the colony from view and that a sentry tower would fit perfectly behind it, but when I look at it, I might realize that it could serve better with an automated turrets instead of a sentry tower. Some things, you just have to look at with your eyes." They rode for a moment in silence.

 

            "If you need help, Lola, don't hesitate to ask," he said and Jane smiled up at him. He was young and eager, she hoped time didn't take that from him.

 

            "Don't worry about me, Vega, you're forgetting I'm a colony kid, I've ridden a hoverbike for the majority of my life. Best way to cover ground on a colony, plus the legal operation age is twelve. Farmers love having kids who can run to town," Jane said. She could remember racing with John on Mindoir, the smell of manure and the buzz of insects. Hoverbiking around a colony for the Mindoir Review always brought her an iota of peace. She realized James was studying her. "Besides, tomorrow I'll be asking you plenty, Vega, then the next week is dedicated to designing a personalized defense plan for Fehl Prime."

 

            "Thanks, Lola," he said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Don't thank me, I have been gifted with the opportunity to use my past tragedy to do my best to prevent it from happening ever again," Jane said and he gave her an admiring look as the door opened. "Have a good afternoon, Vega."  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: May 6nd, 2184 CE

Location: Gilroy, Fehl Prime

 

            Jane handed the personalized report of her recommendations for colony defense to the leaders of Fehl Prime and they thanked her before she headed towards her rooms to pack. She would be heading off world and back into the fray. The Alliance had a lead on Balak and wanted her on an N7 special task force going after a Batarian slave ring. Jane had barked a laugh when she saw the list of codenames, if the N7 Special Ops squads were getting those designations she was going to lose it. Whoever came up with Fury, Destroyer, Demolisher, Paladin, Shadow, and Slayer clearly had a sense of humor. She was actually torn between hoping they kept those codename distinctions and praying that they went away. It was a tie really, but she would be the first Fury operative on an N7 Special Ops mission. Hopefully she would find Balak and remind him of the time she did not place a bullet between all four of his eyes before rectifying that mistake.  

 

            There was a knock at her door and she wasn't surprised to see Lieutenant Vega standing there.

 

            "Can I help you, James?" she asked and he paused at the use of his proper name.

 

            "Hey, Lola, I wanted to ask you a few things before you headed back out there," he said and Jane looked at him. "Could we...grab a drink or something?" Jane smirked at that, it sounded like he was asking her out. It would make John laugh for her to tease the young Lieutenant and she decided to do what her twin would have.

 

            "You asking a superior officer out?" she asked and James blushed and she chuckled. "Come on, James, let's get some liquid courage in you so you can ask your questions." They headed out to the bar. Jane noticed a few of James's team in the corner as they took a booth near the back wall. Mason and Kamille were sitting at a table not quite making doe eyes but clearly showing interest in each other, while Essex and Milque were at the bar. Jane pretended not to notice the faces the two at the bar were making at James as he grabbed some beers. Kamille walked over and the two quickly calmed down.

 

            "So what's on your mind?" Jane asked as she took her beer and took a sip. James eased into his side of the booth, looking bigger for the struggle into the tiny seat.

 

            "So...how are you doing?" he asked and Jane paused for a moment.

 

            "You're talking about losing John and the Normandy?" she replied and he nodded. She was a little impressed he had asked about her wellbeing. "I have had a rough career as you well know, James. I have the bad luck of being a survivor, Mindoir, Akuze, Eden Prime, the Normandy...I have been the only survivor and I have survived with a handful of my men. It tempers you. Your unit faced losses coming here. Your team survived but you were the only group that did. How are you handling that?" He blinked at her.

 

            "I got my men out alive. I knew most of those that didn't make it. Good men and women. I guess, it feels distant, they weren't on our transport, there was no order I could make that would have changed anything," he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "That's it," Jane said. "I analyze the situation and while I feel the pain, I know the truth. John died on the Normandy while I was on route to a Spectre mission. Not being on the Normandy will haunt me, but the reality of the situation is that even if I was on the Normandy, chances are good the two of us would have died instead of just John." Jane took a sip and James stared at her.

 

            "You learn from it," he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "For the most part, I can say with honesty, I have not been incompetent. Only a handful of men have suffered for mistakes in my orders because I make sure to learn from every mistake I encounter, mine or not," Jane said. "I lost my entire family to circumstances I had no control over. Mindoir and the Normandy were things I could do nothing about. In fact, I beat the odds by not dying from pure chance that my biotics decided to start flaring. I lost my team on Akuze not because of incompetence but because someone else was pulling shit."

 

            "What?" James asked and Jane blinked.

 

            "You've heard of that rogue group, Cerberus, right?" she asked and he nodded.

 

            "They were studying thresher maws on Akuze, killed off the colony and my team in an experiment," she explained and he stared. "It's not classified information. Cerberus is now considered a human terrorist group, their activities that are certified and not currently under investigation anymore are documented on the Citadel terrorist watch list."

 

            "My team didn't stand a chance against a collection of maws...ironically we now know that it was a breeding field, the maws eventually turned on each other, only one lives where the Akuze colony was," Jane said. "Nothing I could do would have changed Akuze unless we knew maws were on planet before we landed. My orders were good, but fighting maws is not like fighting soldiers."

 

            "It's just...that's a heavy burden, Lola," James said and Jane nodded before locking eyes with him.

 

            "That is the mantle of leadership, James. I ordered my soldiers on Eden Prime to do their jobs, I knew the chances were good we would face losses after our first skirmish with the Geth. But I still gave the orders so that the colony would suffer less. You have to be prepared to make the hard choices," Jane said and he stared at her.

 

            "I read about some of the stuff you did on your mission to stop Saren. You spared the rachni, you kept the Ferros colonists from killing each other, and you chose to save the Council at the battle of the Citadel. How did you make those choices?" he asked and Jane blinked.

 

            "I became an Alliance marine to save lives, so I always pick the choice that will save the most. Sparing the rachni worries me, they are massively strong opponents. If the Queen falls to the madness her ancestors held, she could restart a new Rachni war and it will be because of my mercy, but I could not, in good conscience, cause the extinction of a sentient species.

 

            "With saving the Ferros colonists, I couldn't allow any more to die because of the situation. John and I were both certain about that. As for the Council. Humanity has not been warmly welcomed into Citadel space because of the First Contact War. We were scared and we caused problems, we needed to prove ourselves. I was the one who told the fleet to protect the Destiny Ascension, I am the one who gave the order that killed so many of our brothers and sisters because I knew, it would result in more Citadel species helping humans, aiding us, and trusting us. In the long run, the loss of our men and women on those ships...their lives are remembered by all Citadel races and there are many who have made it their mission to repay the sacrifice of those lost during the Battle of the Citadel," Jane said. "I did not make that decision lightly, Lieutenant, I just knew when it came down to it, the lives that would be saved by our cooperation with the Council would make up for our losses. I know Fifth Fleet well, I knew many of the men and women lost that day personally."

 

            "How do you do it though?" James asked and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "Because when the time comes, James, you will look at the men and women who trust you and follow you and you will know. It is not about the instant, it is about the long run. I am willing to lose the battle if it means that the war will be won by us," Jane said. "My life will not be lost easily but I am willing to lay it down if it means that those I protect do not need to face the opponents I intend to take down." He stared at her for a moment with such awe that Jane felt embarrassed, she was glad it was warm and she was a little flushed.

 

            "Thank you, Lola," he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Glad to help, James," she said as she got up. "Do your best, Lieutenant Vega..." she stared to walk off before looking back at him with a slight smile. "My brother would have liked you. Probably would have tried to snake you out from Toni's command, that's why I was the one who does the Mindoir Review, I'm the better writer and I don't steal the talent. Fight well." Jane saluted him and he slipped out of his booth easier than he slipped in. He returned the salute and that was the last Jane saw of Delta Squad before she left the next morning.  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: May 19th, 2184 CE

Location: Spectre Command, Citadel

 

            "Jane, hold up!" Tela called and Jane paused in the hallway to look back at the Asari. She was in blue and white armor. "You on a mission?"

 

            "No, I was just reporting in to see if there was anything on queue that needed a Spectre," Jane said and Tela nodded.

 

            "I could use you for an assassination," she said and Jane blinked.

 

            "What?" Jane asked.

 

            "A Krogan leader. He's been causing trouble for the Asari. They've appealed to the Council for aid," Tela explained and Jane blinked.

 

            "You're kidding me?" she said but Tela's face showed no hint of humor behind her eyes. "What's he been doing?"   

 

            "Kidnapping maiden Asari. Holding them at undisclosed locations. Sending pieces of them to their parents to encourage exorbitant spending on their return," Tela said and Jane's eyes widened before narrowing.

 

            "How is he hiding them?" Jane asked and Tela's face darkened more.

 

            "He kidnapped a collection of Salarians, they're routing his messages through so many relays that it's caught the attention of STG," Tela explained. "That's why it's falling to Spectres. I already have a former STG member joining us. You know Chirum Leolor?"

 

            "By reputation alone," Jane said and Tela nodded. "I'm surprised they are working with this Krogan." 

 

            "Chirum talked to the Dalatrasses, apparently, he kidnapped three females being sent to a colony to increase genetic diversity," Tela said and Jane glared. "The ones doing the tech work are probably very desperate brothers."  

 

            "Have the Salarians been harmed?" Jane asked and Tela shook her head.

 

            "He's not going to give them back, he needs them to keep up his Asari scam," she said.

 

            "How bad is he?" Jane asked.

 

            "One victim lost a whole arm before her family had the funds sufficient to return her. These girls are coming home broken, Jane," Tela said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Rape?" she asked and Tela nodded.

 

            "He uses Vorcha too," she said and Jane winced.

 

            "Why me? I'm the most inexperienced in rescue missions," Jane said and Tela shook her head.

 

            "He just returned a girl, she's mostly whole, only lost a couple toes, but she can still dance...if she ever stops clinging to her mother," Tela stated.

 

            "If it's not a rescue, it's a straight up assassination?" Jane asked and Tela nodded. "How, you said you couldn't track him?"

 

            "I can't, the families raised together a very hefty fund to pay the Shadow Broker," Tela said. "I've worked with him before so I was given the funds and told to buy the information. Chirum was more than willing to sign up, even convinced Aelaxos Lithos to join us."

 

            "How many do you need?" Jane asked and Tela shook her head.

 

            "Just the four of us," she said. "Chirum will rescue the Salarians. Aelaxos and you will create a distraction. I plan to put an end to this piece of trash," Tela stated and Jane nodded.

 

            "What's his name?" Jane asked    

 

            "Ganar Rakok," Tela said.

 

            "Where is he?" Jane asked and Tela smirked.

 

            "Tuchanka," she replied and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Suddenly my involvement is clear," Jane said. "Wrex is going to love me."

 

            "He'll love what happens when you help take out the leader of Clan Ganar," Tela said and Jane shook her head again.

 

            "I bet," she muttered. 

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: May 22nd, 2184 CE

Location: Urdnot Territory, Tuchanka

 

            "Wrex," Jane said as she stood in front of her group of Spectres. Wrex smirked at her as he looked at Tela, then Chirum, and last Aelaxos.

 

            "Shepard," he said and Jane smiled as she went up and shook his hand. "You look like you're here to cause trouble."

 

            "We are," Jane said and he grinned.

 

            "Can I help?" he asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Better you let the Spectres shake things up and then vanish into space again. I just wanted to ask you a few things about Clan Ganar," Jane said and Wrex spat at the ground.

 

            "Worthless scavengers, they keep encroaching on our territory," he snarled and Jane looked back at Tela who shrugged.

 

            "Good to know," Jane said and Wrex gave her a look.

 

            "Try to spare the females," he said and Jane smiled.

 

            "Done," she replied before she nodded at the other Spectres.

 

Earth Date: May 24th, 2184 CE

Location: Urdnot-Ganar Territory border, Tuchanka

 

            Through the scope of her sniper rifle, Jane was watching a large group of Krogan wrestling outside of the Ganar stronghold. She was on a building within sight of the Urdnot territory and she was in Asari issue armor identical to Tela's. The goal was to have Jane create a diversion at the Urdnot border while Aelaxos created a distraction at the southern border. While the two were distracting the Ganar, Chirum and Tela would infiltrate the main hide-out. Tela ordered shoot to kill so Jane was carrying her sniper rifle, an assault weapon instead of a pistol, a Spectre issue combat blade, and, at Aelaxos's insistence, a ML-77 missile launcher which was heavy as all hell. She wasn't as proficient with the assault but her training with Naena had taught her plenty about guns in a Krogan fight. The training with Narloc had given her more than one trick with the combat blade that was similar to a kukri blade. The missile launcher was in case they scared up a thresher maw, something Jane really could live without.    

 

            "We are in position," Tela's voice spoke over the communicator. Jane chose her target carefully. It was an older male, he was bigger and meaner. She put the first round into his chest, taking out his second heart, the second round went into his eye, he jerked, and the third went into his neck. He dropped to the ground. The group of males paused and looked at the direction Jane was in. She stood up and turned to run. There were shouts.

 

            "First hit," Jane said into her communicator.

 

            "Affirmative," Aelaxos replied. There was an explosion across the territory. More shouts and cries. Jane quickly hid in a predetermined building and set up her rifle again. The group of males was closer to her original position, their shotguns were up. This time she took aim at the most aggressive male from the wrestling competition. He was big and clearly was taking the lead position. Jane caught him in the eye, neck, and midspine. He staggered and Jane put two in his chest. He dropped and the males were quick to turn to her directions. There was another large explosion and she took that opportunity to run. There were the sounds of yells. She kept heading for her third perch.

 

            The distractions only took a few minutes and soon the entirety of Clan Ganar was out and on the hunt.

 

            _"Intrusion begun,"_ Chirum stated. _"Found targets. On route."_

 

            _"Makes it sound easy,"_ Aelaxos said and Jane chuckled.

 

            "Salarians always do," she replied. A small group of Krogan were outside the small hole Jane was curled up in. "Explosion?"

 

            _"Surrounded,"_ Aelaxos said.

 

            _"Remain hidden."_ Tela's voice ordered.

 

            _"Intrusion needs more time,"_ Chirum said.

 

            "Hold," Jane ordered before she pinged Wrex. "No names. What is that structure to the northeast of Ganar?"

 

            _"No names huh?"_ Wrex chuckled. _"That is Clan Urdnot's keystone for the Rite of Passage."_

 

            "What is it used for?" Jane asked, hoping her annoyance at Wrex's short response was obvious in her voice.

 

            _"It is where young Krogan prove they are worthy of the clan,"_ Wrex said.

 

            "Could it draw curious onlookers if activated?" Jane asked and Wrex laughed.

 

            _"It would draw all sorts of onlookers. If you survive it, you would be considered part of Clan Urdnot,"_ he said. Jane looked out of her hole. There were even more Ganar.

 

            "Thanks," Jane said before switching. "Location of hostiles?"

 

            _"Most have moved to the northeastern border,"_ Aelaxos said and Jane bit back a swear. They were after her.

 

            _"They spotted the armor,"_ Tela's voice said.

 

            _"Need more time,"_ Chirum stated.

 

            "Targets?" Jane asked.

 

            " _Located,"_ Tela said. _"Need time. There's a barrier."_

 

            _"Two. We can break it, but need time alone,"_ Chirum said and Jane bit back a swear.

 

            _"They found a present. Didn't know Krogan could defuse that fast,"_ Aelaxos said.

 

            _"May have recognized work,"_ Chirum added.

 

            _"That would be bad,"_ Aelaxos said. More Krogan were patrolling it was only going to take time.

 

            "I have an idea," Jane said.

 

            _"That tone is not positive,"_ Tela stated.

 

            "Anyone know about Krogan Rites of Passage?" Jane asked and Aelaxos chuckled.

 

            " _You're going to thank me for that heavy,"_ he said.

 

            "If I make it," Jane muttered.

 

            _"Very true, odds of success are..."_ Chirum began.

 

            "Going now," Jane stated as she quickly rolled out of her hiding spot and began to sprint towards the keystone. The sounds of angry Krogan broke out and Jane put on her strongest barrier. It was good timing as she was nearly knocked off her feet by a shotgun blast. The barrier held and she began to use the environment to her advantage. The keystone stood out and Jane turned to throw a large piece of rubble into the corner of a skeletal building. It collapsed behind her as she continued to run. It would buy her desperately needed time.

 

            _"They're moving,"_ Aelaxos said.

 

            _"Keep watch,"_ Tela ordered. _"She's a big girl."_

 

            _"Very brave or very stupid. Will decide based on outcome,"_ Chirum stated and Jane wondered how far she could throw a Salarian as she ran up to the center of the keystone. A single button was lit.

 

            "I think this is how you start it," Jane said.

 

            _"Not in your favor,"_ Chirum added as the side of Jane's fist hit the button. The large pillar moved up as a Krogan recording played. Jane moved to cover, pulling her assault as the first Krogan rounded the corner. Jane began to shoot. She was certain she would be overwhelmed when wild Varren began to fill the field. Then both she and the Ganar had something more to worry about. The button turned green and Jane quickly hit it again before turning on the Ganar. They were pinned between Jane and the Varren. If a Varren was dumb enough to approach Jane she was quick to throw them at the Ganar Krogan. The pillar hit the ground again.

 

            _"You've got airborn!"_ Aelaxos cried and Jane looked up to see several massive insects flying towards her. _"Damn Tuchanka and its massive bugs!"_

 

            "The fuck is that?" Jane gasped before they began to drop massive insects before flying off. "The fuck are those?"

 

            _"Harvesters. Symbiotic with Klixen. Gigantic insects. Similar to Rachni without intelligence most likely. Harvesters transport Klixen, Klixen kill prey, both share meal,"_ Chirum stated as Jane watched one of the Klixen set fire to a Ganar Krogan.

 

            "I hate this planet!" Jane cried as she began to fire on the Klixen. Her assault ran dry and she realized that she needed more ammo. She pulled a Krogan corpse to her and quickly pulled his clips from his body.

 

            _"Agreed,"_ Aelaxos stated. A Klixen reared up and a Krogan shot it. Goo splattered Jane's helmet and for a desperate second Jane was blind. She didn't want to remove her helmet, but it was keep it and die or remove it and face the Krogan with her identity visible. She ripped the helmet off in time to see the Krogan pierced by a leg. She shot the Klixen and it dropped. She panted as she looked over the field with her assault rifle ready. It was quiet for a second before a Krogan stepped onto the arena. Jane drew her combat knife and ran at the single Krogan. His eyes widened as Jane ran up his chest, her knife slamming into the back of his crest. With a twist that Narloc had taught her, she separated the top of his skull from the rest as she used his chest to back flip. She landed on her feet as the Krogan staggered. His eyes rolled up as orange blood began to ooze down his face. He looked down at the top of his own skull as Jane gazed at the shiny perfect surface of his brain. He opened his mouth but his brain was already swelling from the trauma. A fatal wound for any Krogan and one that gave the victim time to realize slowly that he was dead on his feet. Jane sheathed the blade as several more Krogan approached. The leader looked at the one she had just killed before glaring at her.

 

            "Human..." he growled as two more appeared, “You will pay for this." Jane glared at him before throwing the natural armor she carved from her Krogan at the green button, activating the keystone for a third time. "You fool!"

 

            "Let's see if I have what it takes to be Urdnot," Jane said.

 

            _"She is suicidal,"_ Chirum stated.

 

            _"You don't know her,"_ Tela stated and there was a shot. _"Target down."_

 

            " _Clearing targets,"_ Chirum replied as Jane used a stasis on the first Krogan before firing on the second and third. There were screams and a familiar roar. Jane's blood ran cold as the ground began to shudder in a way she knew all too well. Her stasis dropped and she quickly shot the Krogan four times in the chest, three times in the head, and threw him at the moving ground beyond the arena floor. Her comm pinged and she answered it.

 

            _"Shepard,"_ Wrex purred.

 

            "Wrex," Jane replied.

 

            " _You live through this and I'll buy your drinks whenever you're on Tuchanka,"_ he said as Jane holstered her assault rifle before pulling the missile launcher off her back.

 

            "Fuck that....you're making me an Urdnot," Jane said as she pulled it up as the thresher maw's head erupted from the ground.

 

            " _You sound certain you're going to live,"_ he said.

 

            "John would never let me live it down if I let a maw take me out," Jane stated before throwing a singularity at the maw's head as Wrex cut the comm connection. It roared before her warp hit, knocking the maw's head back. It roared at her and before it could even spit, Jane fired two missiles into its mouth. "Just die!" Jane ran across the field as the maw went underground. She watched the soil put up dust and as the maw broke surface again. Jane repeated the attack. When the maw went under again, she quickly dropped to one of the heavy ammunition caches nearby and found a live cell. She put it into the launcher. She quickly ducked behind a pillar before repeating. The maw was in poor shape as she did her fourth round. When the pair of missiles hit the maw's head it exploded and Jane panted as she dropped the missile launcher and pulled up her assault rifle. Ganar lay dead everywhere with more than a few Varren and Klixen. Jane switched her comm back to the Spectre team.

 

            "So...I expect not to buy my own drinks at home base ever again," Jane stated.

           

 _“You took out a maw solo,"_ Tela whispered.

 

            _"Targets clear by the way. Witnessed from dropship,"_ Chirum stated. _"Taking targets to safe zone."_

 

            _"We should head home too,"_ Tela stated and Jane saw a mako approaching.

 

            "I got a ride," Jane said.

 

            _"Meet you at the rendezvous point,"_ Aelaxos said. Jane turned off the comm as the mako approached and the door opened. Wrex got out laughing followed by several Krogan. Wrex smacked Jane on the arm and she gave him a look.

 

            "Not bad, Shepard," he said and Jane looked around her at the dead Krogan, giant insects, Varren, and then at the giant maw.

 

            "I think I exceeded not bad," she said and he grinned wider.

 

            "True, but as is tradition, the ones who clear the keystone challenges are granted the name Urdnot," Wrex said as he held out a hand and Jane took his wrist. "Welcome to the Clan, Urdnot Shepard."

 

            "Urdnot-Shepard Jane," Jane corrected and Wrex laughed.

 

Earth Date: May 25th, 2184 CE

Location: Clan Urdnot Territory, Tuchanka

 

            "Where did all your Spectre friends run off to?" Wrex asked as Jane approached his throne to say goodbye.

 

            "They headed home their separate ways," Jane said.

 

            "Who's your ride?" Wrex asked and Jane looked up at the Alliance shuttle lowering down.

 

            "Fifth Fleet sent a pick up," she said and Wrex nodded.

 

            "You'll be talked about for generations," he said and Jane shot him a look.

 

            "Does this mean I'll not only have bugs singing my praises but also Krogan?" she asked and he laughed.

 

            "Well, you got an answer for everything," he said before he waved her over.

 

            "What?" she asked.

 

            "Got a gift for you," he said and Jane gave him a suspicious glare. "No Krogan fights alone, but I know you, Shepard. You're off on your own crusade against the galaxy. As crazy as your brother even if you don't charge as well." He headed to a room in the rubble behind them. "You need someone watching your back and since you don't like back talk. This should help." Wrex opened the door and a small blue and white streak ran at him. He caught it and lifted it up. A baby Varren snarled and growled. Jane stared at it before Wrex deposited it into her arms.

 

            "This is a baby Varren," she stated as she held the struggling beast. It snapped at her and Jane caught its mouth with one hand and grasped it by the scruff of the neck by the other. It froze and its golden eyes rolled up to look at Jane.

            "You have to train them young," Wrex said. "Look, it already likes you." The Varren pup looked up at Jane, relaxing into her grip. As she released the jaw with one hand, it lolled open its mouth. Jane knew she was done when its stumpy little tail began to wag.  

   

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 6th, 2184 CE

Location: Prothean Cultural Museum, Thessia

 

            Jane rubbed her eyes as she stared at yet another report on the Prothean artifact she was studying. Her back was sore but it beat the injuries from training Blasto. The young Varren was taking to the military animal training like a champ, but was still slightly too affectionate, especially about sleeping in Jane's bunk with her.

 

            She sat back and cracked her neck. A glance down at her omni-tool showed a missed call from Garrus. Jane considered calling back, but there was just too much to do at the Museum. She was getting a less than pleasant view of the Prothean race based on all of her help for the archeologists. So far several had called her a liar when she explained that she had found evidence that proved that any race that joined those at the Citadel were considered Prothean. The Protheans appeared to be imperialists, taking into themselves everyone but requiring all fall under their mantle.

 

            "Commander, I just cannot believe this," Dr. Kratach stated as he entered the room. The Salarian was the most outspoken about Jane's findings.

 

            "I assure you, Doctor, I do not make up any of the things I see. This is a manual for joining the Prothean race. There isn't a lot on it due to the damage of time, but I assure you, it does say that the race is now considered Prothean and all cultural identifiers must not be seen anywhere but on the homeworld," Jane said.

 

            "I just cannot believe it!" he snapped and Jane pushed away from the desk.

 

            "You don't have to believe it, but that is what it says and if my help is no longer necessary, I do not have to be here," Jane stated as she started walking for the door.

 

            "I just thought they were so much more than this..." he said quietly and Jane paused. She turned to see the archeologist rubbing the bridge of his...nose...the space between his eyes.

 

            "It explains a lot about why so many had trouble identifying the physical appearance of the Protheans. There were many different statues and it was practically impossible to put them together because those statues were of all the different races that identified as Prothean," Jane said and the Salarian nodded.

 

            "We thought it odd there was only one race, but imperialists...well at least we were lucky to have the Asari be the first at the Citadel," the doctor sighed. "I owe you an apology, Commander."

 

            "That's fine, Dr. Kratach. It is hard to have your beliefs destroyed," Jane said and he nodded.

 

            "Still, I rather know the truth," he sighed. "Please keep helping us." Jane smiled at the doctor.

 

            "Of course, I'm still looking for a way to get the Council to believe me about the Reapers," she sighed.

 

            "I'm sorry we couldn't preserve Vigil on Ilos," he said and Jane blinked.

 

            "You were on the Council team?" she asked and he nodded.

 

            "So much information...at least he helped to save the Citadel," he said.

 

            "Do you believe me on the Reapers?" Jane asked and Kr. Kratach chuckled.

 

            "Your theory on a global AI destroying one of the most advanced races in history is no less outrageous than the Protheans were imperialists who forced all races to join them or be trapped on world," he said and Jane stared at him a moment. "I'm starting to think such an aggressive race must have had something even more powerful remove them than a virus which was one of our first theories. So yes, I'm starting to think the concept of Reapers is not out of the range of possibility." Jane smiled at that.

 

            "Good to know some of the smartest people I know don't think I'm crazy for thinking Reapers are a threat," Jane said.

 

            "If the Prothean artifacts we find can help, we'll make sure to put that to good use," Dr. Kratach said.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 20th, 2184 CE

Location: Alliance Temporary Housing, Citadel

 

            "Look at that, John," Jane said as she held up the box to the recorder. "It looks nice, feels heavy. Reminds me that I got it before you. It doesn't feel good to get awards we were both aiming for without you."

 

            "I got it because I lead the team took out one of Balak's slave groups, he wasn't there. The new codename for an N7 adept is now Fury. I was Fury Leader on the team. I took the Batarian bastards out. It was a processing center, one of the most efficient on record. They took the temporary brain bombs and replaced them with cleaner...better models. It was almost messy, lucky for me our infiltrator, Shadow, was fast, he got to the control center and stopped the facility from sending out a mass explosion command." Blasto shoved his head into Jane's lap and she began to scratch his head. The Varren was appearing in more and more of her logs.

 

            "We lost most of the Batarians, before you worry, I only shot six, killed four, but that's because most of them took themselves out. We got enough alive to bring in to the Council. Tela offered me a chance to watch the interrogation. One of the Asari Spectres has apparently broken more tight-lipped Batarians than any interrogator on record. Tela thought I would enjoy watching...I didn't by the way. Watch, I mean.

 

            "Hackett is offering to give me a ship one of these days if I join Fifth, I'm going to say yes. I won't like being there, knowing that once, that group helped save you twice and now...you're lost. That's the hardest part of this, John. If I had your body...it would be real, I could live with it. Seeing you...knowing that you're not coming back and I can see it...right now... I can pretend. I can play that you're off on your own mission. Like before Akuze and before Elysium. We're just strangers in space. These logs probably aren't helping me, but I feel better when I do one. Because it's like you're still here.

 

            "It's weird, sometimes I feel like you're out there. Floating in space. Waiting for me to find you. I hate that feeling. The hope that Liara has that you'll turn up. I wish I had your body to prove to my stubborn heart that you're not coming back. You are dead, John, you have to be...but sometimes..." Jane looked at the recorder.

 

            "Sometimes I feel you, like when we were kids. Like the time you broke your ankle at soccer practice and I felt pain in my leg. I feel like I have pins and needles but I'm not in any position to be cutting off circulation. That damnable hope that Liara has works its way into my mind. Maybe you are alive, somewhere, waiting for me. I know I'm a fool. I saw the readings. I saw the suit's oxygen meter hit zero. I saw your heart rate stop. I know you cannot be alive, but the hope. God, the cruelest emotion in the world is hope sometimes. I just wish we found you. I just need to see you to say a real goodbye. I miss you, John." Jane hit the recorded and went to her dress uniform. She put the new pin in place and looked down. An award sat on her desk, she needed to give Hackett her answer.

 

~*TF*~

             

Earth Date: June 30th, 2184 CE

Location: Docking Bay, Arcturus Station

 

            Jane was inspecting the SSV Okinawa when she felt someone watching her. She looked around. It was early morning hours by Earth time, most of the crew were switching over and the docks were quiet. A few workers here and there, but something was off. Jane looked at the ship again before turning and heading towards the exit. She felt like she was being watched again, this time she didn't look around, she kept walking. They were good, she didn't see them, but she was better.

 

            The path she took was mostly deserted, it was a short cut only if you had clearance and she had clearance. She passed the first security door and quickly ducked into an alcove behind a stray piece of machinery. Her breathing dropped to sniper mode, she had her pistol in hand but kept it low. The door opened, there was a jerk as it ascended. Whoever was tailing her was a hacker, the security had been breached, they didn't have security clearance. The footsteps were near silent, assassin training possibly. Jane waited until she saw the form. She lunged, her barrier protected her from whatever was in the man's hand as he swung at her. She caught his arm with one hand, ducking under his swing and pulling the arm up behind him. The old Jane would have held him, but Jane was not as gentle now, she wasn't taking chances. There was a wet sucking noise as she dislocated his arm and his cry was shrill but bit back.

 

            He was dressed in Alliance uniform, plain looking, he wouldn't be noticed. Jane backhanded him with her pistol. He spat blood before her foot caught the side of his knee, there was another wet sound and he screamed this time as he went down. She was quick to pin him. Her hand caught his omni-tool as she knelt on his throat. It was attempting to do a clear but she managed to save a few messages with one of the tricks Tali had taught her. He was trying to dislodge her but she had him by the good arm and he was laying on the good leg.

 

            "Security we have an assault on an officer on C-corridor. Please send the nearest security agent to C-corridor," Jane said into her ear piece. The man was slowly losing consciousness. Jane looked at the item he had dropped when she dislocated his arm. Her blood went cold, a syringe lay on the ground. Something was in it and she stared down at the man.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "He's a Cerberus agent," Admiral Hackett stated as they looked at the security footage.

 

            "He was good," Jane said as she looked over the files she had pulled. The orders were clear. Drug Jane, collect...samples....from her, and bring her to a Cerberus facility, sadly important information like what samples were needed, where the facility was, and what was going to be taking place there had been destroyed."He's not going to talk."

 

            "Probably not, he's a decent agent, Cerberus will be missing him," Hackett said before giving her a look. "The serum in the needle was a combination of a powerful sedative mixed with one of the strongest biotic suppressants known to Citadel space. It's a custom make, I suspect to make it easier to get you into Cerberus' hands." Jane's eyes narrowed.

 

            "I don't know what they wanted from me, but I want nothing to do with Cerberus," Jane stated before she pulled up a file from the collected messages. "This, however, is a Cerberus attack on an alien colony. We can't let that stand."

 

            "You found it, Shepard, you're on it. Make sure whatever it is Cerberus is planning, it doesn't happen," Hackett stated and Jane read the file before shaking her head.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: July 6th, 2184 CE

Location: Above a Cerberus Base, Akrothe

 

            "I'll go in first," Jane stated to her N7 Special Ops ground team.

 

            "Are you sure, Ma'am?" one of the younger members asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'll go in and complete recon," Jane ordered.

 

            "I have drones..." a tech began and Jane shook her head.

 

            "Preliminary data shows that Cerberus is watching for exterior drones, once inside the facility drones are not as high a priority, with the Fury armor I will be almost undetectable," Jane said. "I go in, I get recon, we take them out. All Cerberus agents on this planet are on a hostile mission, what that mission is, we are going to find out and then stop."

 

            "Akrothe used to be a Batarian world, maybe they are looking to set something up for the Batarians," one of her team asked as the Okinawa entered orbit.

 

            "I don't know, the Batarians were usually good about leaving nothing for humans to take when they abandoned their colonies," Jane said as she hopped in the shuttle. "I will contact at 900 hours."

 

            "Yes, ma'am!" the group said.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane moved through the foliage on the planet. It was a lush world. It must have hurt the Hegemony to leave it. The air was breathable but Jane kept her mask on, it would keep her CO2 emissions below sensor readings. The Fury armor had its benefits. She saw the structure, the classic yellow, black, and white motif made Jane wonder what the leaders of Cerberus were thinking, why not just have "Super Secret Cerberus Base" painted on the exterior. She set up her scope. Guards were sparse and moved in regular patterns, no one expected to be found. Once she had the number of guards down and their rotations, she was ready. Jane waited till they reached the furthest part of their routes before she activated the Fury cloak. It was good tech, but still flawed. It would deceive most tech and viewers at a distance, but it was harder nearby. Jane was by a door waiting for only a few seconds before the guard exited through. Jane slipped in behind him and slowly began to move through the facility.

 

            Inside was clean and obviously expensive, she had to wonder about their funding as she moved down the hall. She came to an empty lab and slipped in when the security camera moved. It was a data lab and Jane placed a drone in front of the camera. The drone would freeze the camera on the last image before Jane uncloaked.  

 

            She looked at the terminals and smiled, someone had been kind enough to leave the terminal open, hopefully they were getting breakfast or taking a quick nap. Jane uploaded an Alliance code that kept the terminal from reporting activity. She put another code in, one Tali had sent her to copy as much of the information on the drives to an OSD.  The codes wouldn't last forever, but it would give Jane time to get info and then get out with a few hours of breathing room.

 

            It didn't take long to find out why Cerberus was on Akrothe. A small colony of Batarians were on the planet. The live camera on the colony showed at least three hundred. Jane's eyes widened as she saw the flag above the largest building. It was a dark blue field with white diagonal stripes with four black slashes that were meant to be closed Batarian eyes. Cerberus was targeting a colony of an anti-Hegemony Batarian group known as Dramye. They were deeply religious and believed that the caste system was wrong. They were peaceful and believed in equality. The Hegemony often killed them all and now Cerberus was planning on testing biological weapons tailored for Batarians on the peaceful colonists.

 

            Jane's fingers flew over the keyboard and she froze. The guards weren't sparse because the base was so isolated...they were sparse because the first attempt of the biological weapon was set to begin in two hours. The Cerberus agents would be releasing the biological weapon into the water supply. It was a bacteria designed to kill only Batarians. They would be putting twenty gallons of it into the stream that fed the lake the colony was built beside. Jane collected the release site and the topographic maps. She was quick to get back out, terminating the drone and getting out of the base.

 

            Once Jane was out of range of the base she contacted the Okinawa.

 

            "This is Fury Leader, send Alpha team down to take out the base," Jane ordered as she began to sprint through the jungle. Her goggles gave her directions from her omni-tool.

 

            _"Do you want Beta team to rendezvous with you?"_ her dispatch asked. Jane shook her head before remembering she was on comm.

 

            "No time, I'm uploading what I got from their server, start looking through it. I have to intercept their scientific team before they can release a biological weapon on the colony," Jane said.

 

            _"The colony? What colony?"_ her dispatch cried.

 

            "A group of Dramye, actual peaceful Batarians, Cerberus plans to wipe out a colony of them," Jane said. "Pass that on to Operations Headquarters."

 

            _"Ma'am...what are you planning to do?"_ her dispatch asked.

 

            "I am stopping Cerberus before they can murder innocent colonists," Jane said, her display showed that if she jumped off the next ledge she could cut ten minutes off her run. She jumped and threw below her. It slowed her decent enough that she could tuck and roll. Her shoulder and hip would be bruised tomorrow, but if those ten minutes gave her time to stop Cerberus, it would be worth it.

 

            _"I thought you hated Batarians, ma'am,"_ her dispatch said. Jane was starting to get a reputation...maybe she should be gentler with the Batarians she took out...nope, she didn't have it in her.

 

            "I hate Batarian slavers and Batarians who have no problem enslaving others. The Dramye are non-violent and believe that all beings are equal no matter race. The Hegemony try to kill them whenever they find them. I won't let Cerberus do the Hegemony's work," Jane growled. She paused, her sensors were picking up humanoid readings. She placed her cloak and moved silently through the trees. A small team of ten Cerberus agents was moving through the forest with a small trolley carrying several containers...the bioweapon. Jane's eyes narrowed as she drew her rifle. She quickly climbed a rock and took aim. The guards fell quickly with four fast shots. The team began to scatter. A well placed grenade took out two more. The remaining four were rushing. Jane's output stated that she was close to the water source. She couldn't let those agents get to the water.

 

            Jane ran through the forest and nearly lost her head. Her cloak was good but someone was looking for it now. She threw a barrier and then used a slam to break the agent's body against the ground. A quickly pistol shot to the head finished him as she ran. A female agent was setting a trap and Jane used a push to cause the explosive to take out the agent. Two were left and they were almost to the water. Jane had one more grenade. She heard the explosion back at the Cerberus base. One of the scientists came out from behind a tree and attempted to shoot her. Jane's barrier was too strong and Jane was quick to dislocate both her arms and one knee before following the trolley. The last scientist was riding it, hiding behind the canisters. Jane couldn't risk shooting and releasing the weapon. Jane lifted a small boulder and threw it. It ended up perfectly in front of the trolley. The vehicle hit it and toppled over. The canisters thankfully held and the agent was thrown. Jane was getting tired as she ran. The agent was up and grabbed one of the canisters.

 

            He was going to try and get at least some of the weapon in the water. Jane vaulted the vehicle, thankful for the dance lessons before Omega. She was shocked when she didn't see the scientist. He had cloaked. Jane was quick to turn on her heat sensors and CO2 sensors. She couldn't see him for a moment, then a flash of CO2 flared far too close. Jane's mask kept her face from getting a new scar as the agent attacked. The right goggle was shattered and Jane was quick to flip the agent over her. She pulled off her mask as she threw the scientist in a stasis. He was lunging at her with a knife as Jane looked at him. He stared at her, recognition in his eyes.

 

            "Shepard..." he said and Jane held up her pistol.

 

            "Your agent failed, I'm still with the Alliance," she said. "You're not hurting the Dramye." Jane shot him in the head the second her stasis dropped.

 

            "You are the Shepard," a flanging voice stated. Jane looked over to see a small group of Batarians. They wore loose clothing, unlike the usual clothes Batarian slavers wore. It made Jane think of the traditional sari and tunics from India. Jane felt naked with her mask off.

 

            "I am," she said.

 

            "You shot another human to protect us," a child said and Jane nodded.

 

            "You hate Batarians," an adult said fearfully. Jane holstered her weapons.

 

            "I hate slavers," she said. "You are Dramye, you believe in equality."

 

            "You know of us?" a man said and Jane nodded as she turned to the group.

 

            "Not all Batarians are bad. I stand against the Hegemony and the Slavers, you are neither, thus, as a Council Spectre, it is my duty to protect you as well," Jane said and the group stared at her in wonder.

 

            "The Council...would protect us?" several asked and Jane wondered how far Sparatus would be up her ass for speaking for the Council.

 

            "The Dramye should ask to join the Citadel races," Jane suggested before a shuttle appeared from above. "You should keep an eye out for Cerberus...they are not friendly to non-humans." Jane pointed at the scientist. The Batarians looked at her for a moment.

 

            "Thank you, Shepard," one of them said and Jane stared at them.

 

            "I have a soft spot for colonists," she said as the shuttle landed and her crew began loading up the biological weapon and the scientist she had dislocated the limbs of.

 

~*TF*~

 

            _"You should not speak for the Council!"_ Sparatus snarled from the holo and Jane wondered how long he would be in office and if she would live to see him replaced...she wasn't that lucky.

 

            "The Batarians closed their embassy but that was the Hegemony's decision, these are peaceful Batarians who live in Citadel Space who want nothing to do with the Hegemony. Were all Batarians removed from the Citadel races or was it just that the Hegemony walked away?" Jane asked and was pleased to see Tevos and Valern share an uncertain look. Sparatus looked flustered while David looked amused.

 

            _"What happened to the biological weapon?"_ Valern asked.

 

            "The Cerberus data indicated that the bacteria was sensitive to heat and to sodium levels, so we filled it with enough salt to completely dehydrate any living organism and then let them cook at the highest temperature we could get the engines to go. Each canister is now ruined, nothing biological remains," Jane said and the Councilors nodded.

 

            _"Good work, Shepard,"_ David said and Jane nodded.

 

            _"You saved innocent lives again,"_ Tevos said.

 

            _"You won't always be this lucky, Shepard,"_ Sparatus said.

 

            "I would argue that we don't know how many of the Cerberus agents I killed today were actually involved with the crimes being committed," Jane said.

 

            _"Are you saying that any of those..."_ Sparatus began before Tevos raised her hand.

 

            _"Shepard is right. Cerberus recruitment propaganda is powerful, many of their captured agents have been found to be ignorant to many of the terrorist operations,"_ she said.

 

            _"The agents are being turned over to custody?"_ Valern asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Admiral Hackett is on route himself to pick them up," Jane said.

 

            _"How is their attitude?"_ David asked and Jane smirked slightly.

 

            "We haven't relocated the scientist's arms yet," Jane stated and Sparatus nodded. "She has no prior records for species bias, but it appears she was offered quite a bit of money to work for Cerberus. I'm shocked she was willing to fight me. Most of the guards have kept quiet, but a few seemed genuinely upset when we informed them about the colony."

 

            _"The data you sent is being analyzed now,"_ Valern said as he looked over a data pad.

 

            "Well, let's hope it takes some time for them to realize that their little experiment on Akrothe failed," Jane said.

 

            _"I assume Fifth is planning a new patrol?"_ David asked and Jane nodded. _"Once again...good work, Shepard."_

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: July 23rd, 2184 CE

Location: Alliance Temporary Housing, Citadel

 

            A cryptic message from Ash had Jane waiting outside of the housing when a shuttle pulled up, she was surprised to see the driver was Garrus.

 

            "What are you doing here?" she asked and he flared his mandibles at her.

 

            "Ash told me about the Ball, said I was to make sure you were up to code," he said before looking over Jane's dress uniform. "Nope, she was right, you're wearing pants."

 

            "It's my dress uniform. It is acceptable for female officers to wear their dress uniforms to an Officers' Ball," Jane stated and Garrus shook his head.

 

            "Ash warned me about this and told me to make sure you were ready in style. She's taken care of everything," he said, grabbing Jane by the shoulders and ushering her into the shuttle.

 

            "Garrus, this really..." she began before he opened his omni-tool. Ash's face was shown looking around.

 

            " _Really, Shep, you're wearing that?"_ Ash chided and Jane glared. It looked like Ash was off duty with her hair down.

 

            "Good thing you sent me...and set everything up," Garrus stated as he began to drive.

 

            _"You're one of the most outstanding officers in the Alliance, Shep, you need to look the part. I've set everything up and you're going to do what Garrus tells you,"_ Ash ordered and Jane gave her a look.

 

            "Last I knew, my rank was higher than yours," she stated and Ash laughed.

 

            _"On duty, but I'm on vacation at home. You need to look the part of the first human Spectre. Doll her up, Garrus!"_ Ash ordered.

 

            "Aye aye, ma'am," he said and the afternoon of hell began.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Garrus, I feel like a fool," Jane stated as she looked at the Turian. He stared at her and shrugged.

 

            "You might, I don't know what humans find classy or foolish," he said before he opened his omni-tool again. Ash was sitting with a beer and blinked.

 

            _"Am I good or am I good?"_ she grinned and Jane stared at her.

 

            "This was expensive," Jane stated.

 

            _"You live on ship and you have all those mining rights collecting credits. You can live with it,"_ Ash said. Jane looked at herself in the boutique mirror. She was in a deep navy dress that had one shoulder strap and a slit that went almost scandalously high on the opposite side. Her hair was tucked up in a twist that showed off her long neck. Her heels and nails both matched the dress perfectly. The necklace and earrings reminded Jane of the Alliance symbol in silver. Last her make-up was expertly done making her look lovely with large eyes and puffy, kissable lips. Jane felt strange in the feminine get up.

 

            _"Escort her in Garrus, but remember, she didn't sign up for a plus one so you leave her at the inside door,"_ Ash said and the Turian nodded.

 

            "Got it," he said and offered Jane his arm. She sighed as she wrapped hers around it.

 

            "I hope you both know I am going to get you back for this," she said.

 

            "I have to walk Blasto while you're in there...I'll be punished enough," Garrus chuckled.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane hated Officers' Balls, it was the fact that Hackett and David had worked together to get her there that really hurt. She didn't want to bump elbows with the Alliance elite. She wanted to do her job and sleep, not wear heels that killed, a dress that showed off too much of her figure, and make up that was almost clown thick.

 

            "Ah, Shepard, good to see you," Hackett said offering Jane his arm. She took it and let him lead her to an area where several of the top brass were gathered. Jane was handed a glass of champagne and the idle chitchat began. Time stopped when Jane saw him. It all made sense in that moment when she looked across the room to see Kaidan. Ash had gone to all this trouble for Jane so that Kaidan could see what he had left behind. Her heart ached as her eyes played over his handsome face, her first real love and the only man she'd ever known. His deep brown eyes sparked as he took her in. His eyes moving down her body and back up. Their eyes locked and for a moment Jane felt all her feelings for Kaidan come rushing forward. He was in his dress blues and they fit him perfectly. She wanted him as much as she ever did and his eyes lit up with desire before he looked away. It was clear, he wasn't going to come to her and she wasn't going to shove herself back into his life. She finished her champagne and looked to have more.

 

            Time passed, Jane had managed to play the part of the elegant Alliance officer and Council Spectre. She finally manage to escape to one of the many comfortable chairs hidden in alcoves around the ballroom, too much champagne and too little sleep caught up with her. Jane dozed deeply in the chair, looking like an innocent maiden and not the deadly Spectre she was.

 

            As she slept, it felt like she was being carried and the scent of Kaidan filled her nose. She snuggled into the warmth and hummed.

 

            "Kaidan..." she sighed and the arms tightened around her. Soft lips pressed to her forehead.

 

            She was still being carried but the scent was different, like an exotic spice. The arms were as strong but different as she was placed into the bed. She opened her eyes but her vision was too blurry.

 

            "Don't leave..." she whispered, her fingers catching the edge of armor, "...don't want to be alone..."

 

            "You're never alone, Shepard, you just have to reach out and we're there," a flanging voice whispered and a hand took hers. She fell asleep not long after.

 

            The next morning she remember nothing about the prior night but drinking and going to hide in the corner. She never bothered to ask how she got home since she woke up fully dressed.  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: August 12th, 2184 CE

Location: SSV Okinawa, In Transit

 

            "How is everything looking, Green?" Jane asked as she stood beside him at the helm. The man jumped before looking at her nervously. Maybe he was looking at Blasto close to his mistress's side. 

 

            "We'll be arriving at the Spera colony in roughly six hours, ma'am," he said and Jane nodded. He was no Joker, but Flight Lieutenant Chris Green was a good man to have at the helm. Jane had tried to tap Joker for the job, but he hadn't returned her last call. Alliance had grounded him after the Normandy's destruction, but Jane had twisted arms and called in favors to get Jeff Moreau as the Okinawa's main pilot. Sadly, it appeared that he had left the Alliance without a forwarding address. "How long are we going to be docked?"

 

            "Depends. A Mindoir Review on a colony that hasn't been attacked usually only lasts about a week," Jane explained.

 

            "Will there be shore leave?" he asked and Jane fought a smile.

 

            "That can be arranged, but no seducing colonists' daughters...I have an issue with that," she said before she turned and headed off.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: August 30th, 2184 CE

Location: Classified

 

            Jane stood over the Batarian slaver, his eyes were narrowed as blood dripped from his mouth.

 

            "I had heard you were a bigot, like the rest of your race," he hacked and Jane stared at him coolly as she opened a file on her omni-tool.

 

            "I'm anti-Hegemony and I know you know that," she stated. The first flicker of fear began to cloud the Batarian's eyes.

 

            "I won't tell you anything," he said and Jane put a round into his knee with little else but a cry of agony from him. Her silencer was efficient. She applied a small amount of medigel to keep the bleeding down but do nothing for the bone.

 

            "I am not here as an Alliance agent," she stated and his eyes widened more.

 

            "You will never leave this ship!" he cried and Jane placed a foot on his throat, holding a finger to her lips. They were far from the remaining members of his crew but Jane wanted to make sure this shipment came back to Citadel space safely.

 

            "Are they alive?" Jane asked and the Batarian began to shake.

 

            "You can't sell the dead," he said.

 

            "Where is the control terminal?" Jane asked. His eyes flickered across the room.

 

            "I don't know," he whimpered and Jane nodded.

 

            "Is there a record of your attack plans?" she asked and he shook his head while blinking rapidly. "Thank you." She grabbed his arm, using her thumb to pull up his omni-tool, a list of trading events popped up. Jane used an OSD to collect the file before looking at the Batarian.

 

            "You're enjoying this," he hissed and Jane looked at him.

 

            "Not as much as you would think," she stated before her shot caught him in the center of his forehead. She placed a drone on the terminal, it was the control panel that was set to detonate all the control chips should the signal be sent. A STG developed code destroyed the terminal's programming. Jane waited until the drone vibrated its completion tone before she headed up to the bridge where the rest of the crew was waiting. She opened the door and pulled up both of her pistols before firing on the six remaining Batarians. She collected as much information as she could on her OSD before she called in the Okinawa to pick up the slave shipment. The roster showed Salarians, Asari, and humans were in the shipment.  

 

~*TF*~

 

            _"You destroyed the ship?"_ David asked and Jane nodded as she gave her report to the Council.

 

            "I left a calling card in the form of an automated warning that slavers will not be tolerated by Spectres," she said and Sparatus nodded.

 

            _"You only interrogated four of the crew,"_ Valern commented.

 

            "I found the trading records and planned attacks...they are the sealed files...if you wish to view them, " Jane said looking at Tevos.

 

            _"Good work, Shepard,"_ Anderson said and Jane nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: September 17th, 2184 CE

Location: Dise, Nevos

 

            "I don't understand," Dr. Remicius Donisis said as Jane looked over the artifacts. So far the Turian doctor had been the most resistant to Jane's findings. While others had been almost like the stages of death, all eventually falling to acceptance, Dr. Donisis had stayed at anger.

 

            "I'm saying these are fall back plans and I can read this code," Jane said.

 

            "So...these Protheans may still be alive?" he asked and Jane nodded.          

 

            "I know that four of those locations do not exist anymore, those planets were razed to the ground, but this ruin is complete. The Reapers never took these guys out, that was disease," Jane said. "But I know some of these coordinates."

 

            "Where is it?" he asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I cannot report that to you. I'm going to the Council with this," Jane lied.

 

~*TF*~

 

            " _You're saying the Eden Prime potentially has living Protheans underneath it?"_ David asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "They could be alive, in suspended animation, they should be able to last 60,000 years, as long as their pods weren't damaged and not just Eden Prime but two other human colonies, one Turian, five Asari, and two Salarian colonies. I'm sending you a procedure that should save the Protheans buried beneath the colonies and their exact location. You can't wake the Protheans without me, the procedure requires someone with the Cipher, however, we can keep them alive for some time above ground, giving us time to excavate them," Jane said as the Councilors stared at each other for a moment.

 

            _"Shepard...what I've been reading from your research shows that these Protheans might not be worth the effort,"_ Valern said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "The scientists that create Vigil have information on the Reapers that can make all the difference. While you wish to dismiss Sovereign as a random encounter, he was a scout sent to open the door. You don't have to believe that we need to stop them but those surviving Protheans may have the truth behind the Prothean extinction. I am not being altruistic, Councilors, I believe that those Protheans may be the best proof in my case about the Reapers. The Protheans on Eden Prime were soldiers, they might have techniques we could use. The other two locations have scientists who may have answers on stopping the Reapers," Jane said.

 

            _"If we wake these Protheans, we may just end up starting a new war,"_ Sparatus sneered and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "Or we gain access to caches of knowledge thought lost to the ages. I see these Protheans as a win-win. If I am correct about the Reapers, they are my best evidence for gaining your support. If I'm wrong about the Reapers, they could be the answer to the mystery of our age, what happened to the Protheans," Jane said and the Councilors shared another look.   

 

            _"An intriguing idea, Shepard,"_ Tevos said and Jane nodded at the Asari.

 

            _"Even as evidence, Shepard, they all failed,"_ David said and Jane nodded.

 

            "They may have failed because they didn't have enough time to prepare," Jane said and he sighed.

 

            _"I will contact the human colonies,"_ David said.

 

            _"I will contact the Asari colonies,"_ Tevos added.

 

            _"I know several historians who would never forgive me if I didn't give them the chance,"_ Valern sighed and the three looked at Sparatus.

 

            _"This will require many Prothean experts,"_ the Turian growled and Jane smiled.

 

            "I already contacted several of the Prothean experts I know and they are creating teams to look into the different locations, they just need the okay from the colonies themselves," she said before she saluted.

 

            _"I will only believe this if I see a living Prothean,"_ Sparatus grumbled.

 

            _"If she's correct, I will authorize anything she wants,"_ Valern chuckled.

 

            _"Agreed,"_ Tevos nodded. Jane signed off and looked at her recording. When they found the living Protheans, Jane was going to enjoy using her evidence of their support to create a Reaper Task Force. But one step at a time.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: October 14th, 2184 CE

Location: Wards, Citadel

 

            "Where can I get a Varren?" Tela asked as Blasto obediently walked beside Jane.

 

            "Kill a mercenary band, they have dozens," Jane stated and Tela laughed.

 

            "I need a pup to get these results. You should suggest using Varren to the Council," Tela grinned and Jane shot the other Spectre a look.

 

            "You can do that without me," Jane said. "What's up?"

 

            "Nothing, just waiting to hear back from Aelaxos...he went on a mission, hasn't reported back yet," she said and Jane looked at the concern on the Asari's face.

 

            "You two have a thing going on?" Jane asked and Tela laughed.

 

            "Sorry, Jane, but I prefer my partners with breasts," she said, giving Jane a wink.   

 

            "Sorry, Tela, but I don't do partners anymore," Jane said.

 

            "I don't know what happened with your last partner but..." Tela was talking but Jane was frozen. Across the way she could see John. Slowly she walked away from Tela and towards John. It was a VI that a young man was showing to a customer. He didn't see her until she caught his wrist.

 

            "What's this?" she asked and the man looked ready to shit bricks. Tela was beside Jane while Blasto was growling. He was young, barely a man.

 

            "Shit! You're Shepard! Look I was just..." he stammered and Jane looked at the VI of her brother. A tear ran down her cheek and the man was freaking out more.

 

            "How much?" Jane asked and he froze.

 

            "You...you don't mind?" he asked and Jane stared at the VI as it looked her over.

 

            "Extranet says you're Alliance Military. Take care of yourself out there, officer," the VI chirped in John's voice and Jane laughed.

 

            "There's nothing this galaxy can't beat if we all work together," the VI declared and Jane snorted.

 

            "This is hilarious," Jane said and the man stared at her in awe.

 

            "For you...it's free," he said handing her the modular unit.

 

            "Thanks, kid, it's all wrong, but at the same time, it's the best thing ever," Jane said. Blasto barked at the VI.

 

            "You do realize you could make a mint off of a good VI likeness right?" Tela asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "No...an embarrassingly bad version is so much more wonderful," Jane said. "I'll never give permission for a John VI to be made...this...this is perfect."

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Well John, congratulations, you are now a bootleg VI," Jane said into her recorder as Blasto tried to sniff the VI's butt, but the VI kept trying to reorient itself to look at Blasto. The recorder was getting all of it.

 

            "I got it for free because I freaked out the guy selling them," Jane said smiling as she watched the VI and Blasto. "You can even program them to respond to a name and towards yourself. What is my title, Knave?"

 

            "You are the Most Beautiful and Talented Jane," the VI responded.

 

            "That's right," Jane stated and the VI returned to staring at Blasto. "Who is that?"

 

            "The Pwecious Wittle Angel Blasto," the VI commented and Jane laughed.

 

            "This thing will probably get old shortly, but it's nice to have you taking care of me again. It's scheduling capability is actually pretty good, I think the programmer used a real VI scheduling program as its base. It is buggy as shit, however, and keeps trying to warn me about the Reapers...like I don't know. Still, it is nice to hear your voice reminding me about my schedule. I'll keep him for now, but he's just a VI to me. I even got him a new outfit." Jane pressed a button and the VI was projected wearing baggy overalls with no shirt or shoes, a dopey straw hat, and a piece of straw hanging out of his mouth. "I realized...you look more like Dad when I dressed him like this. I like to think of him as the stupid colony hick you would have been if Mindoir hadn't been...well...what it was. Sickeningly optimistic and chipper. Thank God I haven't been bootlegged. I changed my will, I refuse to allow my image to become a VI ever, even post mortem. All bootleggers will be prosecuted. Thank God for Asari lawyers. Well, just wanted you to see the monstrosity that is your VI. I miss you."  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: November 1st, 2184 CE

Location: Troi Colony, Sbarge

 

            Jane ignored the call coming in. She needed to remember to call back Garrus, she honestly could not remember the last time she spoke to the Turian...or Tali...or Wrex...or Ash...maybe she was just a shitty friend.

 

            "I don't get it, ma'am, there's no one here," Slayer muttered to her and Jane nodded as she walked into another open door. The colony of Troi had stopped all contact so the Alliance had sent an N7 Special Ops team to investigate. Jane was tapped as Fury Leader to investigate the silent colony due to her expertise on colony attack.

 

            "This is the third colony that has gone missing," Jane said. "Vondila and Soli colonies were off the grid and they were reported missing when monthly shipments were delivered and no one was there to sign for them."

 

            _"Any idea what Alliance Command is thinking happened, Fury Leader?"_ Demolisher asked and Jane shook her head as she looked around.

 

            "They are waiting for my report before speculating. Vondila and Soli were ransacked, but security vids show that it was merc groups that did that...the vids are missing nearly twelve hours of footage from both sites, nothing but static," Jane said. "Colonists doing their normal business before the static, empty colony after. Whatever happened on Vondila and Soli, happened in their missing hours of security vid. Troi was in contact with Alliance Command, they wanted to be considered as a location for a possible forward base in the future...when they went silent, we got assembled."

 

            _"What do you think happened?"_ Paladin asked and Jane looked at the colony.

 

            "When we entered there was a sign of mass movement towards the center of the colony. Footprints, dropped items, farm equipment left running. As we get into the colony the signs of movement stop, abruptly but all signs of a fight were in the colony heart. Whatever happened, it was fast and the minimal fighting didn't last long. Anyone who fought was stopped very quickly," Jane said. "The attack also came from above."

 

            "How do you know?" Slayer asked and Jane pointed at a mark on the side of a building, near the roof.

 

            "Any errant fire hit the top of the building towards where we entered. Someone used the same LZ as we did," Jane said. "I just have no idea how they incapacitated the colony so quickly. Paladin, any readings of chemical attack?"

 

            _"Sorry, Fury Leader, if chemicals were used, their remains are gone now,"_ Paladin reported and Jane sighed as she looked around.

 

            "This is a masterful abduction...too little violence for Batarian, too much evidence for Salarian involvement, Asari don't bother with abductions, they can wait out problems with Citadel races with legality, not mercenary..." Jane muttered as she thought about known abductor races.

 

            _"Fury Leader?"_ Demolisher called.

 

            "There is one...other possibility, but they're supposed to be..." Jane froze completely as realization hit her like a sledgehammer.

 

            _"What is it?"_ Paladin asked and Jane stared into the sky for a moment.

 

            "The Collectors are a possibility," Jane said.

 

            _"I'm sorry, ma'am, but what are Collectors?"_ Demolisher asked and Jane looked at the mark on the building.

 

            "A very old race...reported to live through the Omega 4 relay. Thought to be a myth by many of the younger species. I looked them up after the Sovereign attack on the Citadel. Asari writings talk about Collectors taking whole cities with little sign of a struggle. Asari historians believe massive biotic power allows them to put citizens in stasis somehow," Jane said. She needed to get to the Citadel and do some research, maybe find a Matriarch or two to talk to, old ones.

 

            _"Sounds like an intergalactic boogie man,"_ Demolisher chuckled and Jane looked at him.

 

            "The Geth were considered an intergalactic boogie man too, the 212 on Eden Prime were the first to lay that boogie man down to fact. Do you really want to question me on what is real and not real?" Jane barked and Demolisher stammered. "I don't want to hear it! Nothing is ever simple."

 

            _"Ma'am,"_ Demolisher said and Jane headed out.

 

            "I want vids of the entire colony. Look to the rooftops, I want to be able to figure out exactly where people were firing and when they stopped," Jane ordered. "Get me aerial views of everything!"

 

            _"Ma'am,"_ was chorused and Jane moved to the rooftops. She walked the colony from the top and stared down. The far side of the colony was serene, almost peaceful. She didn't like this, dread welled in her stomach, not the type like Mindoir, Akuze, and after her last call with John, but dread still. Something bad was happening to humans and she had a strong feeling it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

 

~*TF*~

 

 Earth Date: November 19th, 2184 CE

Location: Main Lecture Hall, Grissom Academy

 

            Jane looked over the class as she stood to the side. Grissom, she was finally here. Blasto was at her side, nearly full grown and about as excited to be there as when she was taking him to play fetch on the Presidium. Making C-Sec nervous made Jane smile, petty, but worth it.

 

            "Now I present one of the first Human Spectres, Jane Shepard," the instructor stated and Jane stepped forward to look at the class. Young adults, really more like big kids, stared at her with a mix of awe and curiosity.

 

            "Thank you for having me," Jane said, her dress blues displayed her metals and she felt like an actor. She really wished Kahlee Sanders had allowed her to wear her armor, but the headmistress had insisted that Jane wore her dress blues to show the young biotics that biotics could be leaders in the Alliance. "I'm glad to see being a lab rat for biotic lessons has paid off for you guys." The students began to chatter.

 

            "So it is true, you're from the first class to try our techniques?" one of the students exclaimed and Jane nodded.

 

            "My class was used to test the methods you guys use now," Jane said and the class chattered more. A hand went up and Jane nodded at the girl.

 

            "Is it true you made N7 based on your sniping?" she asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "Don't let Alliance brass push you around. Asari troops almost all have biotics. Being a biotic does not set their futures, your biotic shouldn't set your future for you. I am doing my best to break the Alliance belief that we biotics are just cannon fodder. We are more than fancy shields and nifty biotic attacks, we have skills beyond glowing blue," Jane said.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The lesson progressed with Jane demonstrating some of the Asari technique she had picked up here and there. The students were thrilled and a couple even tried to slam a dummy that was brought in. Success varied but the students were all attempting to float...with no success.

 

            "So, is that your Varren?" a boy asked, sitting on the floor panting. He had lifted himself off the ground, but could not hover. Jane smiled and placed a hand on Blasto's head.

 

            "Yes, a gift from Clan Urdnot's leader," Jane said and another student raised their hand. "Yes?"

 

            "Is it true you're an honorary member of Clan Urdnot?" he asked.

 

            "I am not an honorary member, I passed their Rite of Passage, I _am_ a member of Clan Urdnot. They call me Urdnot-Shepard Jane," Jane said and the class was silent.

 

            "This is so cool," a student muttered and Jane wondered if she didn't just make her legend a little larger than it should be. Another student shoved up in a lift and dropped to the floor. Jane hovered above the ground for a moment before smirking. Nah, she had to live for two, this would definitely help her do that, affecting a class of graduates who would go into the field ready to show that biotics were not just living shield generators.  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 7th, 2184 CE

Location: Mallory Colony, Brooks

 

            The N7 Special Ops team was the same as the Troi Colony team and the overview was the same. Part of the colony showed signs of a flight towards the colony's heart while the remaining colony showed signs of a minor fight aimed at above.

 

            "Fury Leader, what did your research turn up?" Paladin asked as Jane walked along a rooftop with Paladin and Demolisher following.

 

            "Matriarch T'esari was alive for a Collector attack, she was a young recruit, but her report of the attack is similar. Retreat from one side of the site toward the middle, the remaining part aiming a fight to above," Jane said. "At least Mallory put up a bit more of a fight."

 

            "Larger colony," Demolisher said and the group went silent. "How could they make a biotic field so big?"

 

            "It may be that the attackers bring enough biotics to capture the colony, we have no idea how large a ship they bring, but it has to be massive if all the colonists are removed," Jane stated.

 

            "Any idea what they are doing to our people, Fury Leader?" Paladin asked and Jane stopped. She looked back at the two with her.

 

            "We have no idea. No one taken by the Collectors has ever returned. Most assume they have been collected for genetic experiments or worse," Jane stated.

 

            "What's worse?" Demolisher shuddered.

 

            "Food," Paladin answered.

 

            "Didn't need to think about that," Demolisher grunted.

 

            "We have no idea what the Collectors do to their victims, but they are taking our colonists...our job is to protect them. Mallory records show that they had more weapons per colonist than the prior three colonies. I'm going to recommend more personal weapons to other colonies," Jane said.

 

            "Will that do anything?" Paladin asked.

 

            "If they are using individual biotics for attacks, it should slow them down," Jane said.

 

            "If not?" Demolisher asked.

 

            "Built in turrets need to be added," Jane said.

 

            "How do you stop biotics?" Demolisher whispered.

 

            "You send in stronger biotics to stop them," Jane stated.

 

            "They better watch themselves or the Collectors will have to deal with a pissed off She-" Demolisher grunted as Paladin hit him in the gut. "Sorry!"

 

            "No names, Demolisher," Jane ordered and he muttered apologies as they continued around.

 

~*TF*~

 

            _"Collectors?"_ Hackett asked from the holo.

 

            "Yes, an ancient race that are from the Omega 4 relay," Jane explained and Hackett stared.

 

            _"I thought they were a myth,"_ he said.

 

            "I spoke to several Asari historians and even one matriarch who witnessed a Collector attack. They're real, just solitary," Jane said and Hackett nodded.

 

            _"I expect a Mindoir Review expansion on Collector attack methods is in the works,"_ he ordered and Jane paused.

 

            "At this time...it's not possible to come up with a defense strategy, Admiral," Jane said and Hackett stared at her a moment.

 

            _"I've never heard you say that,"_ he said.

 

            "It is impossible to tell how the Collectors might be neutralizing the colonists without the security vids. I can't make a useful recommendation until I know how they are taking our people," Jane confessed.

 

            _"It's not your fault, Shepard,"_ Hackett said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know that, Sir, I will be issuing a list of recommendations for isolated colonies. They will not all be comforting," Jane said.

 

            _"We need answers Shepard,"_ he said.

 

            "Aye aye, sir," Jane said.

 

            _"Give us multiple strategies, Shepard,"_ Hackett said. "We need to do something."  

 

            "I will write up strategies now," Jane said with a salute.

           

 _"You're not the only one working on this, Shepard, it is not only you who is doing this,"_ Hackett said and Jane nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 29th, 2184 CE

Location: SSV Okinawa, In Transit

 

            Jane was studying a Prothean dig while idly petting Blasto when Green paged her.

 

            "This is Shepard," Jane said into her comm.

 

            _"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but you have a secure call from someone calling herself Tela,"_ he said and Jane blinked.

 

            "She's a fellow Spectre, patch her through," Jane ordered. Her screen popped up to show Tela, she was clearly mad.

 

            _"Jane, have you seen this?"_ she asked and Tela's image shrunk while the background was a feed...from Tuchunka based on the architecture. Aelaxos's body was chained to a pillar, blood, purple with age trailed from where his mandibles had been ripped off. His lower jaw was rotting off.

 

            "The fuck is this?" Jane demanded as she saw the Turian's Spectre's body was not alone. Several Salarians were being held by multiple Krogan. Chirum was between two very young Salarian males.

 

            _"It's live...they killed Aelaxos!"_ Tela snarled.

 

            "I thought we took out all of the Ganar, Tela," Jane said. A very old Krogan stepped in front of the camera.

 

            "I am speaking to Jane Shepard and the unknown Asari Spectre who helped to wipe out my clan," the Krogan said.

 

            _"That's Warlord Ganar Dirake,"_ Tela whispered. _"He was supposed to be dead."_

 

            "Just like we were all supposed to be anonymous?" Jane said. "Funny how he found out it was Aelaxos and Chirum."

 

            _"He had to have bought the information from the Shadow Broker. I have worked with the Broker so he won't sell my information, but none of the rest of you did,"_ Tela snapped.

 

            "I'm not surprised they knew it was me, I had to remove my helmet," Jane stated and Tela nodded.

 

            _"Right, only one Human Spectre_ ," she muttered.

 

            _"I hope you are watching, I paid good money to locate the ones that killed my kin,"_ Dirake snarled. He was riddled with scars, half of his face was ruined, like he was shot in the cheek, although his yellow eye was still intact over the show of his teeth.

 

            "He wants us to see this," Jane growled.

 

            _"The Turian was easy to find. Those explosives were known to us. Finding him was harder, but we paid for it, he was alone, we found his ship, we brought him down and we tortured him. You should be proud, he never spoke, even as he starved to death, he never gave you up,"_ Dirake purred and Jane felt her nails pierce the skin of her palms.

 

            _"We now have the Salarian, but we had to take him with his kin. So many. So many young ones too. They are either his nephews or the sons of his mate, but we have his daughters, this we paid for,"_ Dirake stated and Jane's eyes widened. Naked Salarian females were shoved in front of the camera, they tried to hide their bodies by clinging to each other. One was backhanded by a Krogan and the male Salarians all struggled, relatives, a family, Chirum's family. _"We will start by killing the youngest males until we know which one is him."_ Jane realized what Dirake was doing. Chirum was honorable, and Dirake was not. Chirum was walking into the trap.

 

            _"Don't touch them!"_ Chirum stated. " _I'm the one you want!"_

 

            _"Damn it,"_ Tela snarled as Chirum was dragged forward and chained to a pillar.

 

            _"We will kill off all the males first, one a day, until you come to us, Shepard and Asari,"_ Dirake said. Jane stood up.

 

            "Green, change course to Tuchunka," Jane ordered.

 

            _"We're almost to..."_ Green started.

 

            "Now Green, this is Spectre business," Jane ordered.

 

            _"Shepard, it's a trap,"_ Tela said.

 

            "I know, but I'm not leaving Chirum to watch his family die in front of him. I am going to save him. You better get on route too," Jane said and Tela shook her head.

 

            _"I'm already on the way, I was in transit too,_ " she said. " _They are going to be ready for us."_

 

            "Then we need to plan," Jane said. "We are going to lose at least two hostages...I hope Chirum can forgive us."

 

            _"If we die trying to save him, he will...then he'll die,"_ Tela said. The two began to plan.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 31st, 2184 CE

Location: The Blood Fields, Tuchunka

 

            Blasto growled at a wild Varren, his jaws snapped and the Varren ran off. Jane moved up behind Blasto and he moved ahead of her slowly. Jane was wearing her personal armor, a gift from Tela. It was heavier than she used to wear, but it was strong...hopefully Krogan strong.

 

            _"You in position, Jane?"_ Tela asked as they approached the building. The Shadow Broker had revealed himself to be unbiased, supplying Tela with the location where Dirake was set up. Jane would not be trusting the Shadow Broker anytime soon since he was so quick to supply information so easily.

 

            They were running out of time to rescue one more Salarian. So far the two youngest males had met gruesome fates. The first had been grabbed by his horns by two Krogan. They had each grabbed a horn and proceeded to rip his head in two. It had been preciously quick. The next one had been slowly lowered into a Varren pit. He had lasted much longer having his feet slowly nipped apart before he was low enough for one to rip a leg off, he bleed out quickly after that. The Council had supported the rescue mission, but their aid would not be arriving for another twenty-six hours, that would be two more Salarian lives lost. Two too many had already been lost in Jane's opinion.

 

            "I can see the structure," Jane replied. The building was an old armory. Wrex had supplied old building plans, but God knew what Dirake and time had changed. "They have a long line of sight."

 

            _"That's why we are going in underground, we take them out quiet, I want Dirake to be oblivious to us until the last minute,"_ Tela growled.

 

            "Got it," Jane said as Blasto signaled. There was the southern tank entrance, half buried in the sand. Jane gave Blasto a treat and the Varren nuzzled her leg before she began to work on opening the door. The door fell into the tunnel with a dull bang, sand slipping into the tunnel. Jane slipped into the opening. Blasto was quiet so nothing was living in the tunnel at least. It was quiet.

 

            "Nothing living in my tunnel," Jane said as air moved slowly past her. The tunnel was open on both ends. How open would yet to be seen.

 

            _"Good for you, my tunnel is collapsed, I'm heading to the next tunnel,"_ Tela snarled, that meant the northern tunnel was collapsed and Tela was heading to the western one.

 

            "I'm not waiting for you," Jane said.

 

            _"You should,"_ Tela said.

 

            "I have Blasto with me," Jane said.

 

            _"That's not going to stop them,"_ she said.

 

            "He's the first Hanar Spectre...they should be terrified," Jane said.

 

            " _Don't die on me, Jane,"_ Tela ordered.

 

            "I'll do my best, but same to you," Jane said.

 

            _"I'm going to be the one late to the party,"_ Tela grumbled.

 

            Jane's luck held and the southern tunnel was complete, no collapse, big enough for a Mako. She ran her fingers over her weapons. She had her sniper, an assault rifle, her pistol, and of course her combat blade. Unlike the last Tuchunka mission, she couldn't count on the hospitable wildlife to serve as backup. It was Tela and the Citadel back up, but both were going to be late. Blasto signaled silently that something was further up the tunnel.

 

            The two slipped out of the tunnel. Blasto sniffed and signaled again, hostiles. Jane slipped on her Kuwashii visor. Garrus had sworn by the design and Jane had picked it up through Spectre Requisitions the last time she was on the Citadel. It was already proving to be worth the twenty-four hundred credits. The display flipped up and Jane set it for Tuchunka fauna. Readings were that there were Varren nearby. With a hand signal, Blasto was at the ready. She moved through the dark basement, little light until she rounded a corner and saw sunlight.

 

            The floor was blasted out. A pack of Varren were snapping at a trio of Vorcha. Two were setting up a collection of stakes in the middle of the floor while the third kept the Varren back, the next Salarian was going to be fed to Varren too. Jane aimed and the guarding Vorcha's head exploded. The Varren were more than willing to begin their meal. Two well placed shots killed the other Vorcha mercifully. Jane signaled and Blasto appeared. Once the Varren had destroyed most of the bodies she began placing rounds in their throats. A pile of dead Varren surrounded the Vorcha corpses. Jane snapped and Blasto was quick to savage each of the Varren corpses. A feeding frenzy gone wrong. Jane moved to a hiding position with her sniper rifle at the ready, making sure Blasto left bloody Varren tracks leading into the darkness. Soon enough two Krogan came. 

 

            "What's taking so..." the first one in the room started and stopped.

 

            "Shit, Dirake is gonna be pissed," the second commented.

 

            "Worthless Vorcha," the first muttered. "I told Dirake we should have fed them more than the Salarian from yesterday."

 

            "Isn't that why he was doing this?" the second asked and the first hit the second.

 

            "I know that," he snarled and the two looked like they were about to fight. Jane was hopeful until the second Krogan simply hung his head in submission. Probably younger. "We'll need to come up with a new way to kill the Salarian. Fast. Dirake will kill us if we don't come up with something."

 

            "Maybe we could see about catching something for tomorrow?" the second suggested, earning himself a headbutt that knocked him to the ground. Jane didn't want to wait and quickly aimed. Her shots took out the head, hearts, and throat of the standing male while the younger one struggled to his feet. He had a second to realize his companion was dead before Jane perforated him. Blasto and Jane dragged each body into a different corridor. She signaled Blasto again, pointing toward where they had entered.

 

            "They set up the kill spot for the next hostage in the basement. I'm heading in from the North, back up is going to be a bitch," Jane said. If there was monitoring equipment it would figure out their comms soon, Jane couldn't give away her location. Tela would know she was in the basement already and heading out without Blasto.

 

            _"We'll come in from the south then,"_ Tela stated. _"If you don't respond in ten, the two of us will leave you for dead."_ Tela was twenty minutes away.

 

            "Roger that," Jane said as she looked for a specific carving on the walls. All female Krogans designed buildings for evacuation using special designs that only females knew. It was for females and children to exit through extremely stabilized stairways. Wrex had been kind enough to introduce Jane to the female Urdnot clan leader, when Jane informed her of the mission en route she had been kind enough to let Jane know the secret. Jane was clan after all.

 

            It was going to be assassinations from here on in. The door was hard to open, but worked well enough. Jane slid inside and began to move up. She slipped out on the first floor, the Vorcha were numerous, but largely on guard duty, usually in pairs. Headshots took them out with no wasted shots. The Krogan seemed less numerous, apparently the last attempt on the Ganar had dropped their numbers. Jane was almost done with the first floor when she saw the two well armed Krogan's guarding a room.

 

            "Stupid Salarians getting me in trouble," one guard muttered.

 

            "Not their fault you're stupid," the other guard commented.

 

            "She was female," the first snapped.

 

            "They're Salarians, you're stupid enough to think that means they're like our females," the second stated.

 

            "I didn't mean to kill her," the first muttered again.

 

            "Dirake needs each of them, he has to show the Spectres what it means to mess with Clan Ganar," the second said.

 

            "He's just mad I didn't record it," the first grumbled. Jane realized what they were talking about and her killing mind made the decision. The second Krogan was dead in seconds, the murderer was crippled, his neck, one heart, and both knees were toast but he was still alive. He couldn't call for help as Jane approached. With a couple of well placed pulls, he was unarmed. His green eyes stared at her as she opened the locked door. Salarians were inside, crouching together in fear, until they saw her.

 

            "Shepard," one whispered in reverence.

 

            "The path is clear through the basement, there is a hole right there. My Varren is in the basement, he will lead you. The southern tunnel is clear, keep my Varren with you. He's blue and white," she said. She tossed several of the males the weapons from the two Krogan. "I left this one alive if you want to finish him off for your sister." Two of the females, still nude looked at the males, two males offered their newly acquired weapons to the females. The Krogan attempted to talk as he dragged himself away, perhaps he was begging, perhaps he was cursing her, Jane would never know and she would not forget how they killed him, she would never make that offer again. When all but one Salarian was in the basement, he turned to her.

 

            "Kill Dirake. If you can save our uncle, please do, but make sure that monster is dead," he said and Jane nodded. She headed to the stairs again. She moved up to the second floor only to find it would not open. She didn't like leaving a floor unexplored. She moved to the third floor. The door opened.

 

            "I cannot believe that fool killed a female," Dirake's voice roared.

 

            "He can be dealt with later, we need to be ready," a second Krogan voice stated. There was the sound of impact.

 

            "I will make them both regret ever messing with the Ganar," Dirake snarled.

 

            "We all will," the second said.

 

            "Do you want to know what I plan to do to your friends?" Dirake purred.

 

            "You will fail," Chirum's voice spoke. It was slow, paced. He was still defiant...good.

 

            "I will make it slow for all of you. The human and you will have it the easiest. I will rape the human until you die. Your corpse will be the last thing she sees. We will break her pelvis. She wants to pretend to be Urdnot. We will treat her like a barren Krogan bitch and show her just how pathetic she is compared to a Krogan," Dirake snarled.

 

            "You will not succeed," Chirum stated, still calm, but Jane suspected there was rage behind his gentle tone.

 

            "The Asari will suffer for centuries. We will amputate her limbs. We will keep her and use her until she has no mind. We will let her grow old a plaything for our boredom," Dirake sneered.

 

            "They will kill you," Chirum stated. There was another impact and Jane began to move, checking the room carefully. It looked clear. She froze. It was too clear. She pulled back a bit. She checked through a scope. Traps were everywhere, but no Krogan. She couldn't have killed them all...could she? She moved cautiously out, stepping over a trap. The third floor had mostly fallen down into the second. Dirake and Chirum were below her with at least one Krogan. There was no hissing of Vorcha. This was too clear. Jane heard the explosion start and quickly wrapped herself in a barrier, throwing herself into the center of the room. She hit on her shoulder and rolled to her feet, her aim at Dirake as he stood with a shit eating grin on his face. Four Krogan stood to either side of him. On his left, two held Chirum while two others had weapons aimed at him. The other side were all aimed at Jane. No fucking way her shields would hold up.

 

            "Welcome, Shepard, we have been expecting you," Dirake said. "My sons will be collecting those you set free shortly." Jane wondered if they were prepared for Blasto and Tela.

 

            "I'm sure they'll have no trouble," Jane stated.

 

            "Put down your weapon and we can just get this over," Dirake said. Two cameras were floating around the room.

 

            "I don't plan to die that easily," Jane said and Dirake grinned.

 

            "If you don't, I'll shoot the Salarian," he said.

 

            "You already plan to kill us," Jane said and Dirake's face scrunched up.

 

            "You think I am bluffing," he snarled.          

            "No, I think you are a coward," Jane said and his eyes widened in rage. "You are afraid to fight me one on one so you intend to hold someone hostage. I am Urdnot-Shepard, a member of a rival Clan, a female, and you are too afraid to fight me on your own." Jane spat on the ground and Dirake snarled.

 

            "You think to trick me into saving the Salarian," he sneered slowly.

 

            "You spend a lot of time talking about what I think. You waste time talking...like a female," Jane stated as she stood back. "You must have lived so old by playing the games of women." Dirake's face contorted with rage and Jane began to think that invoking Dirake's blood rage might be a bad idea. He charged and Jane dodged him.

 

            "I will tear you to pieces and fuck your skull!" Dirake roared and Jane went to shoot only to have Dirake pull her assault rifle from her hands. In a flash he was on her and she was thrown into a nearby wall. Her breath was knocked from her body in the violent impact. She had no time to respond as he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Jane's mouth gaped for oxygen wide enough for Dirake to shove his shotgun into her orifice. The taste of the weapon brought a knee-jerk response. In a move perfectly captured by the nearest floating camera, one hand gripped the base of the weapon, one hand shoved perfectly into his elbow, and last her head twisted to the side. Jane opened her mouth wider as the shotgun went off. She threw him away with all of her strength.

 

            Pain was in her mind as Jane scrambled to her feet, cool air played over her teeth as blood coated her tongue and began to drip down the side of her face. As the camera swung around, Jane caught her reflection as she glowed biotic blue. Her cheek was mostly gone. Her signature scar blasted away by the shotgun barrel that had been in her mouth. Her teeth shone red through the hole that started scant centimeters behind the corner of her lips. A gruesome smile for those watching the feed.

 

            Dirake roared from across the field and Jane returned the roar. He lifted his shotgun and she returned the pull, ripping the shotgun from his hand and impaling it into the face of one of his guards. The Krogan gurgled before dropping. Jane never noticed it as Dirake charged her again. She threw herself over him and he missed. Like an ancient bull-leaper, Jane used Dirake's hump to spin herself, landing on her feet. Dirake's charge sent him into two more of his guards. They tried to move out of his way but his rage was on him. He smashed their heads together, cracking the natural armor on their heads. Jane turned to look at him as he ripped into his own men. She staggered, unsure as to why, she realized she wasn't hearing properly. The shot probably deafened her ear, based on her stagger, it most likely busted her ear drum, taking with her some of her balance. Dirake didn't let the stagger go and charged again, this time Jane dove to the side. Dirake grazed her and she tumbled to the ground. She threw herself to the side on his return charge. Dirake slammed into one of his guards, this time the unfortunate Krogan was jammed into several pieces of rebar, one going through his head.

 

            The remaining guards began to move back, dragging Chirum with them. Even they knew this was bad. Jane struggled to her feet, this time she was too slow. Dirake was on her in a second and the impact with the wall rattled her. He had her by the throat again and Jane's hands were on his wrists.

 

            "You are weak! You dodge like a pyjak and I will kill you with my bare hands!" Dirake snarled into Jane's face before pulling her back and then slamming her into the wall. Jane's skull snapped into the wall and she was stunned. She was pulled back and slammed into the wall again. This time she heard a deep crack. Not of bone but of artificial materials. What could make a crack like that?

 

            Jane's brain was rattled, but she was aware enough to realize Dirake had just crushed her implant. Her brain would be scrambled if he got another hit like that in. Her hand fumbled for her blade as he pulled her away from the wall. Wet warmth was in her scalp. Blood, blood from her skull, near the implant. Bad. That was bad. The blade was free and suddenly her fingers were closed on nothing.

 

            "You think this will save you?" Dirake laughed, his rage was fading with her impending death. He chucked the blade behind him onto a piled of rubble. "No, I will choke the life out of you." One of the cameras floated over them and Jane absently realized, as his hands closed tightly on her throat, that many people across the galaxy would see her die. The brown Tuchunka sky mocked Jane with its hazy white light. Her throat was closed and Jane clutched at his wrists. He laughed as he straddled her legs. Jane was going to die. She was going to die! The white sunlight glinted off her blade. Her biotics fluttered and Jane felt agony rush through her brain.

 

            "Haha! You call that a biotic attack! Pathetic!" Dirake laughed, letting her get a moment of air. Jane sucked it in greedily only for him to shut her throat again. "Suffer, human. You are no Krogan!" Her eyes played on the blade and she remembered the agony of using her biotics the first time on Mindoir. The slaver. She used her biotics before her implant, she could do it now with a broken one. Her biotics fluttered again, she skin looking like she was underwater as she focused on the blade. It was hard with her world contracting. She pulled and the blade flew towards her. Dirake stopped, his hands limp. Jane gasped for air as he stared down at her. She gasped as she pulled back, dragging herself out from under him by her elbows. Her head was spinning, blood was moving down her neck. She was in bad shape. Their living audience was gone and Dirake was staring at her for a moment, his hand moved to touched the back of his crest. Jane staggered to her feet, he was moving in slow motion.

 

            "You..." he gasped and Jane saw the blade had slipped under his crest.

 

            "You lose," she hissed as she lunged at him, grabbing the blade and twisting, the top of his skull popped up, exposing his brain to the air. He stared up at her and she managed to kicked him over. He lay there shuddering as death came. The cameras floated around her and she caught a glimpse of herself. Her blood soaked teeth peering through the red ruin of her cheek, a red streak moved down her neck and the breast of her armor, and both her eyes had blood red sclera from where her blood vessels had ruptured in her eyes. She looked like death. She stared at one of the cameras, glowing blue, the agony of her biotics made her vision narrow only on the cameras.

 

            "Never think you can target Spectres and get away with it," Jane growled as her biotics caught the cameras. "And never underestimate me!" She slammed the cameras down, destroying them. Her body became weightless and Jane seemed to fall into darkness.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane felt weight in the darkness. She was laying on a metal table with a loose sheet laying over her nude body. She opened her eyes to the darkness; she could feel the hole in her cheek, the shards of her implant in her brain, and the ache of her eyes with their ruptured vessels. She had died, on Tuchunka, killing Dirake. She had managed to take down Dirake with her, it was a shame she couldn't figure out how to save the colonies that were vanishing, but she had gone out in a way that John would have to admit was good.

 

            "Don't go," John said and Jane blinked as she realized she heard her brother. She turned her blood red eyes to her left, there was a second table. She and John were on autopsy tables, both covered to the neck by white sheets. John lay on the table next to her, his skin grey and withered. The skin of a body lost in space. His own eyes matched her own, ruptured vessels bleeding into the sclera with the lack of oxygen, his from the vacuum of space while hers were from strangulation. She turned her head to him and they stared at each other.

 

            "I'm coming, John," she said and he stared at her with sad eyes.

 

            "Don't go, Jane," he whispered, his voice was hoarse as if he hadn't used it in a long time. She stared at him as he struggled. His arm slipped free, bone thin from spacing, withered by the loss of gases, skin split in angry fissures.

 

            "I want to be with you, John," Jane sobbed, tears burning her already painful eyes. She struggled to reach for her brother.

 

            "Don't leave me," John said again, his hand reaching for hers. His blood red eyes pleading with hers.

 

            "But you're there, you're gone," Jane said, confused as she struggled to get her arm out from under the sheet.

 

            "Don't go...I can't see my baby sister die," he gasped and Jane's hand was free. She swung her arm out and their caught each other by the wrist. "Don't leave me." Jane stared at her brother's face, withered but slowly fleshing out. "Don't leave, baby sister." Jane held his wrist, it was withered but it looked less grey and it felt warm.

 

            "By fourteen minutes," Jane muttered as she looked at him. "I won't leave yet."

 

            Jane gasped and sat up. A nurse screamed in shock causing Tela to fall out of her chair and Blasto to begin howling.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 21st, 2185 CE

Location: Huerta Memorial Hospital, Citadel

 

            "How the hell did you get me an L5 implant?" Jane asked as Tela grinned from her seat next to Jane's bed. A large bandage covered Jane's head, half of her face covered while the back of her head was almost completely covered.

 

            "I have my sources, plus you have created the most badass Spectre propaganda ever," she said as she pulled up an image on her omni-tool. An image of Jane, glowing with biotic power, a bloody knife in one hand and her other reaching out towards the camera Subtitles said "Never underestimate me" as her lips moved. 'Spectre strong' floated where Jane had been and Jane groaned.

 

            "What the hell is that?" she asked.

 

            "Fan made Spectre recruitment vids," Tela grinned. "You are now officially one of the most bad ass Spectres."

 

            "I'm in the hospital with a large chunk of my face being regrown using cybernetic implants and the base of my head shaved because I got a new implant...an expensive and supposedly still in development one," Jane said giving Tela a look. The Asari Spectre gave her a look.

 

            "Jane...you took out a one thousand year old battlemaster in basically hand to hand combat. You saved most of Chirum's family as well as Chirum," she said looking at Jane. "You're a damn hero and it wasn't just me who got you those implants. Your stay here at Huerta is covered by Spectre costs, the extras were a gift from Chirum and myself. Hell, his mate put most of the money in after she got the majority of her daughters back safe."

 

            "I didn't save all of them," Jane said and Tela gave her a look.

 

            "You did a hell of a lot more than me. I took out the goons that came down to go after the group you sent down and Blasto helped me. Chirum, Blasto, and I took care of the few guards left while you were slicing the top of Dirake's head off," the Asari said. "You avenged Aelaxos."

 

            "He was a good Turian," Jane said.

 

            "Yeah, and you're a good human, when you get out of here, we need to get a drink," Tela said.

 

            "Yeah," Jane said with a grin.

 

            "You should also thank that Turian friend of yours," she said and Jane blinked.

 

            "Garrus?" she asked.

 

            "He was here every day while you took your two week beauty nap," Tela said. "Took care of Blasto. I haven't seen him since the day you woke up. He left before you woke of course."

 

            "I will," Jane said.        

 

 ~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 2nd, 2185 CE

Location: Huerta Memorial Hospital, Citadel

 

            "Please do not transfer me again or I will come down there with my Varren and we are going to have a discussion on upsetting recovering Spectres," Jane said quietly to the Salarian C-Sec officer. He froze mid way into transferring her.

 

            " _You're a Spectre?"_ he asked and Jane stared at him.

 

            "Yes, as I was trying to explain, I'm Jane Shepard," she said and his eyes began to flutter.

 

            _"Never underestimate me!"_ he yelped and Jane nodded.

 

            "I know, so many people don't recognize me without the bloody sclera, I know, but I have been looking for nearly two weeks for Garrus Vakarian," Jane said. "Originally I was told he went on vacation, however, I was never given his return date. Now I'm being told that he is no longer working for C-Sec."

 

            _"What is your relationship with Officer Vakarian?"_ the Salarian asked and Jane felt the urge to pound her head into the table.

 

            "I'm coming down with my Varren," she said as she started to get out of bed.

 

            _"He's quit! He quit!"_ the Salarian cried and Jane blinked.

 

            "Did he leave any contact information?" she asked.

 

            _"Nothing, he just quit, that's all we have,"_ the Salarian explained and Jane nodded.

 

            "Thank you," she said and disconnected. "Where the hell are you, Garrus?"

 

            "Jane?" David asked at the door and Jane stood up and saluted. "Well you look much better."

 

            "Had to get up so I could walk Blasto," Jane said and he nodded. "I'm glad you were willing to come."

 

            "You said you had some ideas for additional security for the colonies," he said.

 

            "We need to protect the security systems. I've contacted Tali, she's seen about sending a kid on their pilgrimage to one of our colonies, it's not great, but it could help us with catching video footage," Jane said and David nodded.

 

            "That can't be all?" he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "We need to be putting teams on the ground before another colony can be hit," Jane said and he had a look. "Shit..."

 

            "We lost two, we didn't know about one because it was another colony that didn't want Alliance interference," he said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "The other?" Jane asked.

 

            "We had an N7 team on the ground within twenty hours of communication loss. All the same signs," he said.

 

            "We need a biotic on the ground," Jane said.

 

            "You can't do it," he said and Jane looked up. "The doctors explained that they weren't letting you go until they were certain your implant was fully functional. You're grounded, Shepard, get used to it." Jane didn't argue, until her biotics were up and running, she didn't dare.

 

            "Alenko just got a promotion, he can take a colony," David said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Send Ash...I mean Williams with him. I like them watching each other's backs," Jane said.

 

            "I hear you put their names in for Human Spectre status," he said.

 

            "Theirs aren't the only ones, just the two I think will go the furthest," Jane said and David looked at her. "What?"

 

            "I'm just impressed you put Alenko forward," he said and Jane looked at him.

 

            "Personal lives are not what makes a good Spectre. Kaidan is a good soldier, he would be a good Spectre too," Jane said and David nodded.

 

            "I'll send that on, you recover, Jane, we need you out there," he said and Jane nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 19th, 2185 CE

Location: Presidium, Citadel

 

            Jane was floating with Blasto patiently watching her from the grass.

 

            "Shepard?" a voice called and Jane looked to see Green waving at her.

 

            "How's the Okinawa?" she asked.

 

            "We're good. Mostly doing escort missions while you're here," he said and Jane noticed a little air about him.

 

            "You know me, Green, I'm the still person I was before the mean Krogan scramble my brains," she said as she collected her towel from next to Blasto and slipped it over her shoulder. Her hair was starting to grow back on the base of her head, but she still felt self conscious about it.

 

            "I know, ma'am, it's just. People are still talking about it. You took on a Krogan one on one and..." Jane gave him a look and Green shut up. "I have the report from the colonies you wanted. Councilor Anderson told me to bring it to you."

 

            "Thank you, Green," Jane said as she took the data pad. It had plenty of images. Jane would start another round of recommendations, but it seemed like her first order didn't cut it, turrets needed to be placed with automated targeting systems. "Is there something else?"

 

            "When will you be cleared?" Green asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "Blasto and I should be back next week," she said. "The Council and Alliance found us a nice slave ring to break up. We're going after one of the batch that works in Citadel space."

 

            "You can do that easy," Green grinned.

 

            "Oh, I had you tapped for the mission team," she said.

 

            "Do not," Green shot back and Jane grinned.

 

            "Are you suddenly talking back to me?" she asked and he paled.

 

            "No ma'am, I just know you prefer my flying to Helfer's," he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'll be back after the next check up, which is tomorrow," she said.

 

            "Based on your hovering you have to be back to normal right?" Green asked and Jane smirked.

 

            "Better, I was doing that for nearly four hours," she replied before snapping her fingers at Blasto to follow her back to her room.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: March 5th, 2185 CE

Location: En route to Fortuna System

 

            "It was too easy, John," Jane said as she recorded her journal. "The slavers were half dead, said they had come from Omega. Lost their leader to a vigilante." Jane swirled the ice cubes in her glass. "What was he called?"

 

            "Archangel," her VI called from the corner.

 

            "Thank you, Hick-John," Jane said before looking at the recorder. "I changed his name. Knave felt wrong. Hick-John is much better. Still, Archangel scared these guys out of the Terminus so I'm not sure how good he is. Still, he killed their leader and so now these guys are caught by me. It was just too easy. The nice thing is I have a schedule of Hegemony slave pick up dates for the next month., so the Batarians will be dealing with Alliance raids for the next two months. Rather proud about that.

 

            "It's good to be back, I was worried for a while that the scrambling my brain took was going to knock me out of the uniform. I still am worried about having an early release L5 unit, but supposedly it is safe. If my brain can't handle it I'm thinking about giving Blasto power of attorney," Jane said as she sat back.

 

            "I have another Cerberus mission, this one is Council orders, however, I have tapped the Alliance for help. I don't know how much I like this, but this one is better scouted. It is a listening post. I'll take them out and see if I can't get more intel. Word is they have spies everywhere. Never a good thing. I wonder what you would make of them, John. A group of humans putting us above all others. Not good," Jane sighed as she sipped her drink, lost in thought. Her hand absently rubbing the new implant on the back of her head.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: April 11th, 2185 CE

Location: Alliance Temporary Housing, Citadel

 

            Jane looked at the bottle of whiskey. David had once again remembered her birthday. The second one she had alone. She opened the bottle and pouted a couple fingers into a glass. She did not care for whiskey, but it was a waste to be sober on her birthday. Blasto grinned at her from the bed.

 

            "What has you so happy?" she asked and the Varren's tail began to thump behind him. Jane chuckled and the Varren quickly approached, placing his head on her leg. She stroked his head as she sipped the whiskey. It burned and she wrinkled her nose. Kaidan would have like it. The thought made her heart ache. She stared at the lights of the ward, her fingers playing over Blasto's scalp. Her omni-tool binged and she quickly placed the glass down before opening it.

 

            _"Shepard?"_ a Salarian asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Speaking," she said.

 

            _"I have a lead on that Turian you are looking for,"_ he said and Jane blinked.

 

            "Do I know you?" she asked and he chuckled.

 

            _"No, I owe Chirum a favor, he said this would suffice,"_ the Salarian explained and Jane shook her head.

 

            "What did you find?" she asked and he grinned.

 

            _"Your Turian bought a one way ticket to Omega. It was with a credit chip and not an account to account purchase. It took some time to link everything together and it wasn't strictly legal..."_ he explained and Jane held up a hand.

 

            "If you broke rules, the less I know the better," she said. "Did he make it?"

 

            _"He bought several chips before he left, all but one has been used up,"_ the Salarian said. _"But the last one was used three days ago. Unless he was robbed or traded them, he's probably still alive on Omega."_

 

            "Thank you," Jane said and he grinned.

 

            _"It was an easy thing to discover,"_ he said and Jane chuckled.

 

            "For some. I'll let Chirum know you barely broke a sweat," she said and he groaned.

 

            " _Please no!"_ he whined.

 

            "Thank you...I don't know your name," Jane said.

 

            _"Jondum, Spectre Jondum Bau,"_ he said and Jane smiled.

 

            "Thanks, Jane, Spectre Jane Shepard," she said.

 

            _"Nice working with you,"_ he said and then clicked off.

 

            "Well, Blasto, it looks like after we take care of this next Cerberus issue, we are taking some time off to find our dear Turian friend," Jane said and Blasto barked happily. 

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: June 3rd, 2185 CE

Location: Cerberus Base, Classified

 

            Jane perched on the overlook waiting for Slayer Leader to call in the attack from the Alliance loaned N7 Special Task Force. At the moment she was working as both a Council Spectre and an Alliance officer. She was not given command because of the Spectre aspect of her role. Her goggles were recording everything she saw, which was why she was on the outcrop above the base.

 

            _"We have confirmation on location of the package,"_ Shadow stated and Jane blinked. The package was supposedly an upper level Cerberus scientist.

 

            _"All agents move into position,"_ Slayer Leader ordered and Jane moved to the main entrance. Her job was to make it so the main entrance was not an option for escape. All agents confirmed positioning. "Engage." Jane dropped from the overlook, her biotics allowing her to land in the classic superhero stance. She quickly lifted the nearest mako and threw it into the door. She repeated it, blocking the entrance with three makos and various equipment outside of the base. One grenade set the whole thing to flame and Jane quickly moved towards the roof. A few biotic bursts helping to throw herself up. She saw the shuttle appear out from the building.

 

            "This is Fury, a shuttle is attempting to escape through the roof!" Jane cried as she cloaked and quickly began to sprint towards the shuttle. Several agents were getting in. Jane threw another grenade and the shuttle was in pieces. "Shuttle stopped."

 

            _"There's a second one, shit!"_ Paladin cried and Jane looked to her left, sure enough a second shuttle was loading on the opposite building. Jane zoomed in with her goggles and she could see a woman with black hair and a skin tight outfit loading up with a suitcase.

 

            _"The package is leaving, she got what she needed. Shit,"_ Demolisher groaned and Jane threw a chunk of the shuttle behind her at the other roof. It nearly hit and the woman turned to look at where it had come from. Jane's cloak hid her, but she suspected the woman knew she was there. She turned and hurried climbed into the shuttle and it took off, closing the door as it did.

 

            _"Damn,"_ someone muttered.

 

            _"Not a full loss, we got a lot of information,"_ Shadow reported.

 

            "Where were they heading?" Jane asked.

 

            _"Location Unknown,"_ Slayer stated and Jane looked up at the lights that were the shuttle. Jane narrowed her eyes, she wondered for a moment what that woman was planning to do. Was she one of the scientists that had been after Jane? Not that Jane would ever let Cerberus get a shot at her.  

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: December 30th, 2185 CE

Location: Council Chambers, Citadel

 

            "We appreciate you making this request in person, Shepard," Tevos said and Jane nodded at the Councilors.

 

            "So you intend to take time to search for a lost friend?" Sparatus huffed.

 

            "Yes. I believe that I have earned a vacation," Jane said and the Turian snorted.

 

            "It is not uncommon, we appreciate the warning," David said and Jane nodded her head at him.

 

            "She only just started after being out of commission for three months," Sparatus snarled.

 

            "A reminder that Spectre Shepard saved several young females and a fellow Spectre," Valern stated.

 

            "I still say this is a waste of a perfectly functional agent," Sparatus muttered.

 

            "You have our leave," Tevos said and Jane saluted.

 

            "Thank you, Councilors," she said.

 

~*TF*~

           

            "How long do you think it will take you?" David asked in his office and Jane shook her head.     

 

            "At least two weeks, Garrus is too smart to be easy to find," she said. "I'll stop by T'Loak and let her know I'm on Omega."

 

            "Is that wise?" David asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Aria may be a ruthless dictator, but she's very accommodating if you show her respect," Jane said and he offered her a drink. She waved a hand.

 

            "The Prothean digs are looking good, they expect to reach the pod chambers within the next three months," he said.

 

            "I should be back in time for that," Jane said.

 

            "I'll forward any information on missing colonies should that occur," David said and Jane winced.

 

            "Hopefully when I find Garrus, he'll agree with me about getting Tali on board. Maybe create a small task force for trying to improve colony defense," Jane muttered.

 

            "You think Vakarian will be able to help on that?" he asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "Ash and Kaidan are on site, hopefully they can do their part on the ground, I'll put money down that if I get Garrus, Tali will come along. The two of them should be able to think of what I'm missing. I'm not a tech, but they both know weapons and tech," Jane said.

 

            "I wish you luck," David said. "Will Blasto be okay on Omega?"

 

            "I think he'll love it," Jane said. "I'll be heading out tomorrow."

 

            "Keep me up to date, Shepard," he ordered.

 

            "Yes sir," Jane replied with a salute.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 1st, 2186 CE

Location: Lazarus Facility, Subject’s Sterile Recovery Room

 

            _…_

_…_

_…pain…_

_…tingling pain…_

_…face…arms…legs…_

 

            “…there, on the monitor. Something’s wrong.”

 

            _…what was wrong? Did I fall asleep at the mess hall table again?’_

 

            John slowly, agonizingly opened his eyes. He saw sterile white and ducts above him. Hospital. _Was he hurt? How did he…?_

 

            “He’s reacting to outside stimuli. Showing an awareness of his surroundings.” A man’s voice said. Near him, by his head, above him.

 

            _How did he…the attack! The Normandy! His crew!_

 

            “Oh my God, Miranda. I think he’s waking up.”

 

            John had to get up. He had to see who made it, who else Jane saved. He needed to know Liara was safe. Alive. He needed to kiss her and hug Jane. He needed to get up.

 

            _He didn’t die! She saved him!_

 

            A heart monitor began to accelerate and he saw a brunette walk by his left as his eyes began to focus. He turned right and saw a bald man standing by him.

 

            “Damn it, Wilson! He’s not ready yet.” female voice, British accent. Angry, afraid. “Give him the sedative!”

 

            John turned to her, his heart beating wildly but now every beat sent a bolt of pain straight to his head. He had to get up, touch them. Hold them. Save the others, help his friends.

 

            “Shepard,” the woman said and he raised his left hand to try and reach out. “Don’t try to move.” She took his arm by the wrist and set it down. “Just lie still. Try to stay calm.”

 

              _…okay, but his head hurt now and his heart continued to beat harder and harder…he was dizzy now…_

 

            “Heart rate still climbing. Brian activity is off the charts.” John heart a beeping alarm begin to sound. “Stats pushing into the red zone. It’s not working!”

 

            John turned to the right, watching them. His heart was racing his head ache was now blinding. Pain was shooting down into his limbs. What was happening to him?

 

            “Another dose now!”

 

            _…oh…that felt good…so sleepy…_

 

            “Heart rate dropping. Stats dropping back into normal range.”

 

            The woman stepped over him this time and he saw her clearly. Bright blue eyes, dark black hair, pink lips…an angel…she saved him…?

 

            “That was too close. We almost lost him.” The man again. The woman scowled and turned to glare at the man as his eyes began to drift shut.

 

            “I told you your estimates were wrong. Run the numbers again.” She snapped. John’s eyes drifted closed.

 

            He was okay. He was safe.

 

            Jane had saved him.

 

~*TF*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby’s AN: Ha how you like them apples kids?! This is one of my favorite chapters so far! Belle wrote most of it and she did a fantastic job! Now for me, just me I want you guys to play this song and read the parts with Jane alone again. I even gave Belle this song because I think it fits how Jane feel so much during this chapter. No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper. *whispers in aside to them* The Rocky 4 version is better than the Robret Tepper music video! Though Belle hates Rocky series. *pout*
> 
> Belle: AN: I actually have a playlist I built while writing for Jane. This is the music I listened to when I wrote this, certain songs were put on repeat when I was writing specific scenes.  
> Across the Line - Linkin Park  
> All That I've Got - The Used  
> Alone ToGether - Fall Out Boy  
> Amaranth - Nightwish  
> Angel with a Shotgun - The Cab  
> Anthem - Superchick  
> Awake and Alive - Skillet (This was a repeater)  
> Bartender - Lady Antebellum  
> Coming Back Down - Hollywood Undead  
> Commander Shepard - Miracle of Sound  
> Courtesy Call - Thousand Foot Krutch  
> Day of the Dead - Hollywood Undead  
> A Demon's Fate - Within Temptation  
> Don't Wake Me Up - Chris Brown  
> Fallen - Delerium (A big part of Kaiden's pieces)  
> False Pretense - The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus  
> Fourth of July - Fall Out Boy  
> Freakshow - Skillet  
> Frontline - Pillar  
> Give Me Back My Life - Papa Roach  
> Hero - Skillet  
> Hope of Morning - Icon for Hire (This was a repeater)  
> I Fooled You - Awaken the Giant  
> I know what you Did Last Summer - Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello  
> I will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie  
> I'm Not Okay (I Promise) - My Chemical Romance  
> Image of the Invisible - Thrice  
> Immortals - Fall Out Boy  
> In The End - The Anix  
> It Has Begun - Starset  
> Kick Ass - MIKA & RedOne  
> The Kill - 30 Seconds to Mars  
> Kill Em With Kindness - Selena Gomez (I really can't explain this one)  
> Li'l Red Riding Hood - Bowling for Soup  
> Lion - Hollywood Undead  
> Looking for Angels - Skillet  
> Monster - Skillet  
> No Easy Way Out - Robert Tepper  
> Not Gonna Die - Skillet  
> Novocaine - Fall Out Boy  
> On My Own - Ashes Remain (This was a repeater)  
> On My Own - The Used  
> Only One - Skyhill  
> Protectors of the Earth - Two Steps from Hell  
> Save Me - Aimee Mann  
> Shattered - Trading Yesterday  
> Ship to Wreck - Florence + The Machine  
> Skyscraper - Demi Lovato  
> Sleep - Conjure One (Drunken Jane Theme in my mind)  
> Spirit Never Die - Masterplan  
> Start a Fire - Ryan Star  
> Stitches - Shawn Mendes  
> Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) - Kelly Clarkson  
> SuperLuv - Shane Dawson  
> Take Me - Papa Roach  
> Take it Back - Miracle of Sound  
> Tales of the Electric Romeo - Immediate  
> The End is Where We Begin - Thousand Food Krutch  
> This is Gonna Hurt - Sixx:AM (Jane on Tuchunka Theme)  
> This is War - 30 Seconds to Mars  
> Time of Dying - Three Days Grace  
> Uma Therman - Fall Out Boy  
> Unbreakable - Fireflight  
> Undone - FFH  
> Unknown Soldier - Breaking Benjamin  
> War of Change - Thousand Foot Krutch  
> We Are - Hollywood Undead  
> We Are One - J.T. Machinima  
> We'll Be Counting Stars - Big Good Boys Band  
> What Have You Done - Within Temptation (The Brutal Side of Jane Theme)  
> While Your Lips are Still Red - Nightwish  
> Your Guardian Angel - The Red Jump


	12. The More Things Change...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John Shepard wakes up trapped in Cerberus' clutches. He sees the effects of the Collectors on Freedom's Progress and begins to suspect that working for Cerberus may be a necessary evil, but he won't do so without people he trusts. Can he reach Jane for an extraction before his new Cerberus crew takes him on a suicide mission?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Toby’s Note: So, now we know what happened to Jane while Cerberus brought John back to life. I hope you guys enjoyed 10 and understand why we didn’t kill anyone off during Virmire now. I personally think it hits Jane a lot harder because of that and well, it’s John. So, let’s see how John reacts to being on his own, among the enemy…
> 
> Also, I meant to get this out before Andromeda came out but work, the hellish process of buying a home and BotW kind of delayed this a bit. And retyping the *beep*ing conversations…seriously can’t we just leave those spots blank and let you guys fill them in?
> 
> Belle's Note: I don't know about other people, but I had a blast with Andromeda and I was totally stoked that they have the Ryders as twins. I was so thrilled that I actually started two playthroughs just to check that Sara is always the older archeologist protector and Scott is always the younger Alliance Relay guard. I never thought we would be presented this kind of scenario so I have to state "We totally did it first!"

Chapter 11: The More Things Change...

 

Earth Date: January 8th, 2186 CE

Location: Lazarus Facility, Subject’s Sterile Recovery Room

 

            _“…wake up Commander…”_

 

            It was that woman again. Her voice was insistent, commanding, alluring and echoing.

 

            “ _Shepard, do you hear me?”_ John felt the room shake and he slowly opened his eyes.

 

 _“Get out of that bed now, this facility is under attack.”_ John groaned and reached up to rub his chin and jaw as the room shook again, rattling him and sending a jolt through him. He felt better than the last time he woke up but there was a dull ache in all of his joints, along his back, up to his neck and even his skull. His face felt taunt and it felt like all of his teeth were throbbing. He winced as the room shook again and John recognized an explosion in the distance. _“Shepard. Your scars aren’t healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack.”_

John grunted and sat up, wincing as he did and grabbing his side as his ribs began to throb. Every movement hurt, like his entire body was one giant pulled muscle. He glanced up and saw large windows displaying the halls surround the room. Fire was in the halls and he saw the occasional tracer bullet streak. The woman on the room’s communications system was right. They were under attack but by who? He swung his legs over the side and was surprised to note he was dressed. He didn’t recognize the colors but assumed it was related to the hospital as they weren’t Alliance colors.

 

            _“There’s a pistol in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!”_ John focused and saw the locker near the bed he was on. He hopped off the table and made his way to the locker, noting that he felt bulkier and heavier. When John opened the locker, he couldn’t help but smile. Not only was there a pistol in there, there was also a full set of N7 armor inside. He didn’t recognize the model but that didn’t matter. He quickly suited up, noting that it fit perfectly. Obviously, they’d taken his measurements while he’d been out and procured the suit. He checked the pistol over, again not a familiar model but a pistol was a pistol, however there was a slight alteration. There was a round, empty slot in the base of the grip and…

 

            “This pistol doesn’t have a thermal clip.” John called. His throat twinged and he forced himself to swallow several times. It felt like he hadn’t spoken in days. How long had he been here?

 

            _“It’s a med bay.”_ The woman snapped. _“We’ll get you a clip from...”_ she cut herself off with a startled noise _. “Damn it! Those canisters by the door are going to blow! Get behind cover, now!”_

“Yes dear,” John muttered softly, already moving behind a piece of machinery. He reached it in time as the canisters exploded, taking out the door with them. John didn’t hesitate, moving up to head through the doors.

 

            “ _Someone’s hacking security trying to kill you. Look for a thermal clip for your pistol.”_ She ordered and John rolled his eyes. Like he hadn’t asked for that just a moment ago. He found a body in a jumpsuit like the one he was wearing under the armor. Shaking his head, John searched them and found a thermal clip. It was slightly different than he was used to. It looked cheaper, mass produced and was colored black and red with several notches on it. It also fit perfectly into his pistol which beeped and displayed a shot count the moment he slapped it in. He’d heard word about trying to go back with a pop and switch system to allow you to shoot more and not have to wait if you overheated your gun but word was that wouldn’t have been rolled out for a few more months. Had he really been unconscious for months?

 

            John moved into the next room and saw that several of the desks and containers had been positioned around the door to his room, along with several more bodies.

 

            “ _Looks like they set up a barricade to try holding the mechs off.”_ The woman noted and John felt guilty. They’d given their lives while he’d slept. Damn it, he had to help them! John moved swiftly into the other room, easily moving over the barricade. Out of the corner of his eye to the right he saw something move. He swung to the right and…then everything slowed. He heard the woman on the overhead PA exclaim but it was slow. A security mech was raising its gun to shoot, in fact a few shots went off but slower than usual. John raised his pistol, moving as fast as he always did and popped it twice in the head, making it explode.

 

            Then it was over, everything was moving normal and John felt himself breathing hard, fingers and arms tingling, his brain awhirl. What the hell was that?

 

            _“Keep moving. We need to get you to the shuttles._ ” The woman ordered and John swiftly headed for the stairs.

 

            “Something just happened to me, it felt like time slowed down but I kept moving at normal speed.” John called out, swiftly checking the rooms. Some security mechs entered the next room and John felt time slow again as he opened fire. It lasted just about as long as before but this time John was ready for it, dropping the mechs as fast as he could.

 

            _“Your kidneys were severely damaged and your adrenal glands were destroyed when you were spaced, Shepard.”_ The woman noted. _“Along with a few more key organs, nerve clusters, and most of the nerves throughout your body we had to replace them. The artificial hormones, like adrenaline, flood your system just like your natural ones did but are much more potent. You have enhanced reflexes as a side effect. It’ll last for a few moments and eventually you may even learn how to trigger it as you like.”_

 

            “Which way?” he asked, grabbing a few clips the mechs had dropped and popping out the used one for a fresh clip.

 

            _“Straight ahead!”_ John immediately moved through and saw a large mech stomping through the halls beyond the glass, mowing down people who weren’t even wearing armor. John snarled at the sight. _“Don’t waste time. I can’t keep the mechs distracted for long.”_

 

            Annoyed but knowing she was right, John headed down the hall.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Twenty minutes later John was thoroughly pissed off and he was getting a bad feeling. Everywhere he went all he’d found were dead bodies and hacked mechs. Shortly after finding a grenade launcher the comms had gone offline too, cutting him off from the woman guiding him out. A few minutes later he’d found an office with a video log of the woman, who was apparently named Miranda. He’d recognized her as the one speaking to him over the comms and from when he woke up the first time. He’d also seen this strange orange symbol on the walls and the shoulders of everyone’s clothes. He noticed it on his own clothing as he’d clamped his armor over it and he felt like he’d seen it before. He’d downloaded all the files he could, noting that they were all talking about one thing, him and his medical care. Add that to the fact he’d yet to see one connection to the Alliance and he felt like something was wrong.

           

            “Hostiles!” a voice shouted ahead and John picked up the pace. He stormed through the next doorway and found a man in a black and white combat suit. He was of African heritage and had buzzed hair with a stubbly chin goatee.

 

            “Shepard?” he exclaimed in surprise as John slid into cover next to him. “What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress.”

 

            “Are you with Miranda?” John asked. He glanced over the edge and took a couple of shots, sending a mech flying back as they impacted its chest.

 

            “Yeah, sorry. I forgot this is all new to you right now.” The man replied. “I’m Jacob Taylor and I’ve been stationed here for-” Jacob was cut off as more mechs came in from the other side and began opening fire, forcing both men to duck lower behind the railing panels. After a second Jacob popped up and shot one in the head, blasting it to pieces and the mech’s body slumped to the ground. “Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda’s got you running around. I’ll fill you in, but we better get you to the shuttle first. I’m low on thermal clips, but I’m also a biotic. Just give the order when you want me to hit them with the good stuff.”

 

            “How about now?” John replied, standing up to quickly plant a few rounds into one of the mechs. Jacob quickly followed suit and yanked the last two towards them with a pull. As the mechs lurched over the side and floated towards them. As Jacob aimed his pistol to shoot them John motioned for him to wait. John shot the last mech standing in the head sending it crashing to the floor in a flurry of sparks and robotic error noises. It was quiet for only a moment just as Jacob’s biotic field on the floating mechs expired and they fell to their destruction in the shaft between the two areas. John nodded, satisfied and holstered his pistol.

 

            “I’ll take that explanation a bit later if you don’t mind,” John said gesturing to the door way. “I’d like to meet up with this Miranda and get the whole story instead of bits and pieces.” Jacob grinned at him and nodded.

 

            “Sure thing Shepard,” Jacob replied heading for the door, “I’ll show you the way.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Hold still damn it,” John growled at Wilson. The doctor finally stopped his belly aching as John jabbed the medi-gel from his suit’s dispenser into the wound. It quickly spread and sealed. John nodded and stood before extending a hand down to Wilson. The doctor grabbed John’s gauntlet and John helped him to his feet as Jacob finished clearing the crates out of the way. Shortly after John had headed off with Jacob, Wilson had called out over the comms for help. They’d hurried to the man’s location and found him bleeding from a gunshot.

 

            “Thanks Shepard, I never thought you’d save my life. I guess that makes us even, huh?” Wilson muttered looking down at his leg and tested it by putting some weight on it. Apparently satisfied it wouldn’t buckle under him, Wilson sighed and stood normally. “I thought maybe I could shut down the security mechs, but whoever did this fried the system. Completely irreversible.”

 

            “We didn’t ask what you were doing.” Jacob replied, turning back from shoving the last crate aside with his biotics and fixing Wilson with an annoyed look. “Why do you even have security mech clearance? You were in the bio wing.” John raised an eyebrow at that.

 

            “Weren’t you listening? I came here to try and fix this!” Wilson retorted. “Besides I was shot! How do you explain that?” John shook his head. Numerous ways listed itself in John’s mind, Wilson shooting himself at the top of that list followed by being careless with reprogramming the mechs and not marking himself as friend in the mechs’ friend/foe system. Dozens of possibilities came to his mind but surrounded by killer robots in an isolated facility wasn’t the best time to get those answers.

 

            “You’re all strangers to me. Let’s get someplace safe, then we’ll sort out whose fault this is.” John replied, heading past the two men and walking over the walkway.

 

            “Look this is getting tense.” Jacob spoke up from behind John. He was going to keep walking but stopped at what Jacob said next. “Shepard, if I tell you who we work for, will you trust me?” John turned around and saw the hesitant expression on the man’s face and Wilson’s continuing scowl.

 

            “This isn’t really the time Jacob,” Wilson snapped.

 

            “We won’t make it if he’s expecting a shot in the back.” Jacob snapped at Wilson, turning to fix the man with a glare. Wilson huffed and crossed his arms like an angry toddler.

 

            “If you want to piss off the boss, it’s your ass Jacob.” Wilson bit out and John couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the man. Jacob turned back to John before speaking.

 

            “The Lazarus Project, the program that rebuilt you…it’s funded and controlled by Cerberus.”

 

            Terror.

 

Anger.

 

Rage.

 

Hate.

 

All these emotions blasted through John in an instant. Hunting them, those experiments he and the others had stopped. The Admiral. Akuze and the hell Jane had gone through. He hadn’t even realized his hand had drifted to his pistol until a large crack echoed in the suddenly dead quiet room. John blinked and took a deep breath, releasing the iron grip he’d had on his still folded pistol on his side, the handle now showing a thick crack from where John had gripped it.

 

            “If you hadn’t saved my life, I’d have shot you both,” John snarled. Wilson’s eyes were wide and he glanced at Jacob as the other man approached John just a few steps.

 

            “Look, I get it. With you and your sister’s history with some of the rogue cells of our organization, I’d be calling for blood too. But us, the Lazarus cell, we brought you back after the Alliance gave up on you, declared you dead. Right now, though we have to work together to get out of here.” Jacob stated. “I thought you deserved to know what’s what.” John grunted and considered it. Jacob had ample opportunities to shoot him in the back and he hadn’t. This facility was dedicated to him and his well-being. They’d spent billions in credits on him to bring him back to one hundred percent. He’d take Jacob at his word for now but there was a hell of a lot of questions to be answered when this was all over and they were safe and sound.

 

            “I want to find out _exactly_ what the hell is going on when this is done,” John replied. Jacob nodded in agreement.

 

            “Once we’re off the station, I’ll take you to the Illusive Man. He’ll explain everything, I promise.” Jacob said and John snorted at that. So, he’d already learned one thing, their leader called himself the _Illusive Man_. Oi vey.

 

            “I don’t care how well he explains everything, I don’t work with terrorists,” John snapped turning around to head for the shuttle bay.

 

            “Tell it to the boss, anyway we’re almost to the shuttle bay.” Jacob retorted. John grunted and stormed down the hall.

 

            This day just kept getting better and better…

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Which way?” John snapped to Wilson as the last of the mechs fell to the ground in the docking area with a shower of sparks.

 

            “Through here.” Wilson replied, jogging ahead of John to one of the docking access halls. Wilson started entering his code into the door lock. “We’re almost at the-” Wilson was cut off as the doors snapped apart revealing Miranda. Dirty and scuffed, her hair a mess and sweaty, she had an annoyed expression on her face. John was again struck by the ethereal beauty she had as Miranda glared at Wilson. “Miranda! But, you were-”

 

            Wilson was cut off one last time as Miranda raised her pistol and shot Wilson in face, smearing the entry way with blood and brain matter. John instantly snatched up his pistol aiming it at her.

 

            “Dead?” Miranda finished at Wilson’s corpse with a sneer.

 

            “What the hell are you doing?” Jacob exclaimed, rushing over with an expression of shock on his face.

 

            “My job,” Miranda said coldly, “Wilson betrayed us all.”

 

            “Even if you’re sure, did he really deserve that kind of a reception?” John snarked. Miranda turned to face him and an amused expression came over her when she saw John’s pistol pointed at her.

 

            “He sabotaged the security systems, killed my staff, and he would have killed us.” Miranda retorted.

 

            “You sure about that, Miranda?” Jacob replied. “We’ve known Wilson for years. What if you’re wrong?”

 

            “I’m never wrong,” Miranda said, a little smirk that John found scary but sexy as hell. This woman was the definition of a femme fatal. Worse, was that she _knew_ it. “I thought you’d have learned that by now, Jacob.”

 

            “Still, you should have tried to take him alive. Seen what he knew and who he worked for.” John noted, lowering his pistol but keeping it in his hand.

 

            “Too risky.” Miranda noted, shaking her head. “I’ve put too much time and effort bringing you back to life to let you get killed now.”

 

            “You really think Wilson’s capable of that?” Jacob questioned. Miranda glanced at Wilson’s body and back to Jacob, raising at eyebrow at him.

 

            “Not anymore.” She noted and John bit back a laugh. Damned if he didn’t find himself starting to like Miranda and her snark. He bit the side of his tongue and shook his head. They were Cerberus operatives. He had to keep them at an arm’s distance until he knew where they stood.

 

            “So what’s our next step?” John asked, holstering his pistol.

 

            “We get on the shuttle and go. My boss wants to meet you and I want to run a few simple tests on the flight there to make sure your mental faculties are intact.”

 

            “You mean the Illusive Man? I know you work for Cerberus.” John noted. Miranda shot Jacob an amused look.

 

            “Ah, Jacob. I should’ve known your conscience would get the better of you.” Miranda drawled.

 

            “Lying to the commander isn’t the way to get him to join our cause.” Jacob noted and John couldn’t help snorting at that. Right, join Cerberus. And Laira’s mother was a Krogan.

 

            “I’ve had enough of this station for a lifetime, let’s get going.” John cut in, heading for the shuttle.

 

            “Or two in your case. This way.” Miranda replied moving past him to lead the way.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 9th, 2186 CE

Location: Transport Vessel Paxtau

 

            "How dare you?" the batarian growled as Jane pressed her foot into his chest, her pistol was aimed between his eyes.

           

            "Really? You just attempted to enslave the passengers who paid you to take them to Omega and you're going to be insulted by me fighting back?" Jane asked, tilting her head to the side.

 

            "You killed my crew!" he roared and Jane shoved him down.

 

            "As I recall, your crew tried to shoot my varren," Jane said and there was a whimper from behind her. "Sounds like at least one of your crew is still alive. Keep, Blasto." She heard Blasto snarl before the Batarian behind her made a choking noise. Knowing he would keep the Batarian incapacitated with his jaws around the man’s throat she focused on the one under her boot.

 

            "I would have the luck to have the Terror of the Hegemony on my ship," the batarian hissed and Jane blinked before smiling.

 

            "Is that the new Hegemony nickname for me?" Jane asked. He glared up at her.

 

            "You are the epitome of the racist humans out to destroy Batarians!" he roared and Jane laughed. "You sadistic bitch!"

 

            "I'm not laughing at you. It's hilarious because the Dramye call me the Terror of the Hegemony too," Jane said and his eyes widened.

 

            "Those traitors deserve your wrath," he hissed and Jane chuckled more.

 

            "The Dramye were just approved for Citadel membership, they have an embassy and have been invited to join colonies. Seventy percent of those colonies were offered by humans on my recommendation," Jane said and the batarian glared at her.

           

            "You killed my brother!" he snarled and Jane nodded.

           

            "Fair, but I kill all the slavers I meet," she said before she shot him. "Kill, Blasto." There was a gurgle from behind her and Jane stroked Blasto's head as he nuzzled her side a moment later. "Good boy." She headed down the blood soaked hallway to the bridge. She pressed the comm. "The ship has been secured, our hosts are dead, anyone who can fly this bucket is welcome to claim it once we dock at Omega. Looks like we have a couple of days to make it there."

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 10th, 2186 CE

Location: Unknown, Secret Cerberus Facility, Early Morning

 

            “Well rested Shepard?” Miranda asked, leading John down the halls. They’d arrived at a station late yesterday and shown John to a very Spartan room with a simple bed and bathroom. Besides a locker room and staging area, there was an empty room that Miranda was leading him to. He had been restricted to this area of the station for the night they spent here. He’d had access to the basic room with the bed and toilet, this locker room, the room with the hologram machine used to contact this Illusive Man, some sort of waiting area and the dock where the shuttle was stored. That was it and it drove him up the wall. Obviously, they didn’t want him wandering despite giving him an extranet account and a support account with a generous budget. He didn’t know how Cerberus had gotten him here but they obviously intended to keep him on a short leash.

 

            “Fine but it was a little hard to get some sleep last night.” John replied. Miranda stopped before a set of closed doors.

 

            “After being unconscious for so long your natural sleep rhythms will be a bit skewed. You’ll fall back into a normal pattern soon. The benefits of some of your implants will be a shortened sleep cycle. Sleep will be mostly for mental exhaustion versus physical.” Miranda informed him. John grunted, taking that bit of info with a grain of salt. Miranda may have been his doctor and rebuilt him but anything she told him would be taken with a healthy skepticism until he got checked out by a doctor he thought he could trust.

 

            “He’s waiting for you inside. I’ll see you after.” Miranda said, moving away. John sighed and straightened his shoulders before striding forward the doors opening for him and sliding closed behind him. He entered the room and stood in the middle of the glowing pad. He glanced around and as he did holographic projections began to light up and surrounded him. John scowled and glanced around as the image of a large open room displayed itself and John saw a man sitting in a chair with holographic read outs near him. It was hard to make him out as there was a dying star lighting the room behind him. He was wearing some sort of black suit, with a lit cigarette in one hand and drink in the other. Besides him being Caucasian with brown hair, he had bright, glowing blue eyes that John realized were implants.

 

            “Commander Shepard.” The Illusive Man said, his voice smooth and even. And also unfamiliar. Damn.

 

            “Illusive Man.” John said in a frosty tone, crossing is arms. “I thought we were meeting face-to-face.”

 

            “A necessary precaution. Not unusual for people who know what you and I know.” The Illusive Man noted, taking a drink.

 

            “You might be the reason I’m still alive, but that doesn’t mean I trust you.” John retorted.

 

            “You need to put your personal feelings aside.” The Illusive Man replied. “Humanity is up against the greatest threat of our brief existence.”

 

            “The Reapers.” John agreed.

 

            “Good to see your memory’s still intact. How are you feeling?”

 

            “You need to earn the right to ask me those kinds of questions.” John snapped.

 

            “Cerberus isn’t as evil as you believe.” The Illusive Man replied, taking a drag of his cigarette. “You and I are on the same side; we just use different methods.”

 

            “Cut the bullshit. What are the Reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?” John growled. The Illusive Man stood and walked towards John giving him a better look at him.

 

            “We’re at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack.” Illusive Man began and John raised an eyebrow at that. “While you’ve been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe it’s someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and the geth aided Sovereign. You’ve seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That’s just one reason we chose you.”

 

            “Why not approach my sister? With the money you sank into me you could’ve built an entire fleet and put her in charge. She’s just as good as I am.” John wondered. The Illusive Man smirked at him and shook his head.

 

            “A lot has changed in the past two years. Your sister let the entire team fall apart and sank herself into deep black ops missions for the Alliance and the Council. Since then she’s been waging a one woman war trying to eliminate the entire Batarian race.” The Illusive Man raised his left arm and activated his omni-tool. He keyed something and a video screen lit up before John. Jane’s emotionless face stared at him and it made John shiver. Her eyes were cold, blood running freely down the right side of her face from a cut above her temple.

 

            _“Attention Hegemony vessels, this is Jane Shepard, Human Spectre. This is the remains of the latest slave ship I have taken from you. Any Batarian slave ships I find in Citadel space will need to pray that I am as merciful as I was to these sorry bastards. In the future I will kill every member of the crew, gouging out all four of their eyes before I place a bullet into their brains. Any Hegemony ships that attempt aggression in Citadel Space will be asking for my special attentions. This is your only warning.”_ Jane said with her eyes staring directly into the camera before the message cut off.

 

            “She recorded that into a Hegemony shuttle’s system, set it for open broadcast and set the shuttle for autopilot straight for Khar’shan. She was the only agent on the ship and the entire crew was massacred.” Illusive Man informed him. John clenched his fists. It had to be fake, it had to be. Jane would never threaten to violate a batarian so they would never go to their heaven.

 

            “What about the rest of my team?” John couldn’t help but ask. The Illusive Man took another drag of his cigarette.

 

            “Liara T’Soni has set herself up on Illium as an information broker. Urdnot Wrex hasn’t left Tuchanka in two years, shortly after uniting the clans under his leadership. Tali’Zorah is working with the Migrant fleet. Garrus Vakarian resigned from C-Sec and even we can’t find him. Kaidan Alenko and Ashely Williams are making their way from colony to colony, checking over their security. It’s the only sign that the Alliance is trying to deal with the situation.”

 

            “If what you say is true…if the Reapers are behind this…I’d consider helping you.” John allowed.

 

            “I’d be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself.” The Illusive Man noted, making his way back to his chair and sitting down. “I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom’s Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you on the way.” John rolled his eyes at that. So those two were going to be his keepers. Fan-friggin-tastic.

 

            “Is this a volunteer job, or am I being volunteered?” John growled.

 

            “You always have a choice, Shepard. If you don’t find the evidence we’re both looking for, we can parts ways.” The Illusive Man said in a smug tone. John rolled his eyes. “But first go to Freedom’s Progress. Find any clues you can. Who’s abducting the colonies? Do they have any connection to the Reapers? I brought you back. It’s up to you to do the rest.” The Illusive Man hit something on his console and the holograms on John’s end shut down and faded away. He grunted and shook his head before turning around. He needed to gear up and see just what was going on.

 

~*TF*~

 

An hour later John was going through the supplies in the locker room, going over in his head what the Illusive Man had told him and what John had been able to verify on the extranet. He’d found numerous videos on Jane, some grainy far away vids, security vids and even a Spectre recruitment video someone had made when Jane had fought a Krogan hand to hand. As he settled on the armor and color scheme he wanted he had to wonder how things had gone so far off the tracks for Jane since he’d been gone. No mention of the rest of the team helping her out. Just vague suspicions, a really creepy fan-forum that was compiling her stats and mission record, and public speculation. She’d never given an interview to any reporter, blowing off Emily Wong and even punching one. Not one picture with any of the others since the public memorial they’d had for him. He had to grin smugly at that. He wondered how hard Anderson had to pressure Jane to give that speech.

 

John set aside his selected armor to choose his weapons. Again, a generous selection but some of it he wouldn’t need, ever. He wasn’t a biotic or a sniper so he passed on the biotic amp, SMG and rifle options. After getting an assault rifle, shotgun and pistol setup that he could work with he looked for a grenade box. Frowning when couldn't find one he began digging through crates looking for them.

 

            “We’ll be leaving for Freedom’s Progress shortly, Commander.” Miranda’s voice called out behind him. John grunted, continuing to hunt through the crates. “Anything I can help you find Shepard?”

 

            “I can’t find where you stored the grenades,” he snapped, realizing how childish he sounded a moment after he said it. Miranda clucked her tongue and John looked at her with an annoyed expression to counter the disapproving amusement she was displaying.

 

            “Grenades, Shepard? What do you need grenades for? We have a varied selection of heavy weapons here.” She said archly and John frowned.

 

            “No one in Cerberus uses any kind of grenades, ever?” he pressed and Miranda rolled her eyes.

 

            “Not under my team, I’ve never seen the need to use them,” she stated, primly. “Even that grenade launcher you found uses heavy weapon cells, no grenades.”

 

            “Well this bodes well.”

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 10th, 2186 CE

Location: Freedom’s Progress, Nightfall

 

            Despite the security mechs still being on it was the quiet that bothered John the most. Nothing was on. Not a roof top heating unit, the low human of water recycling system, or even the putter-putter of colonial tractor belonging to a late night worker hauling minerals or crops. Nothing. Food and pads left out in the open, laying where they were dropped. It was a ghost town.

 

            Well mostly a ghost town. They approached a prefab unit and John heard low murmurs from the other side of the door that was slightly cracked open. John gave a low whistle and signaled to Jacob and Miranda to take up positions on the door. When they were ready, John counted down with his hand before slamming a hand on the door control, forcing the doors to shoot open and he stormed in, his rifle at the ready. He saw a group of Quarians clustered around a holographic map. One of them jumped up and brought his rifle to bare on John.

 

            “Stop right there.” The man ordered.

 

            “Prazza!” A familiar voice barked, storming up and forcing the man to lower his gun. “You said you’d let me handle this.” She turned around and John got a good look at her. She’d grown a few inches and the hood of her encounter suit was slightly different. He figure was fuller and was more woman than girl. John couldn’t help but smile as she took a step back.

 

            “Wait…John?” Tali trailed off in wonder. John gestured to Miranda and Jacob to stand down and holstered his assault rifle.

 

            “I’m not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!” the Quarian called Prazza snapped, trying to move past Tali.

 

            “Is there anyone you guys _haven’t_ pissed off?” John bit out over his shoulder to Miranda who huffed and Jacob let out a bark of laughter.

 

            “Put those weapons down!” Tali barked at the Quarians and John felt a swell of pride.

 

            “John? Is that…really you?” Tali asked, hope in her voice and John smiled at her.

 

            “How did your pilgrimage gift go over Tali? Did they like the shuttle, the supplies that we all stuff into it or the geth data the best?” John asked. Tali’s eyes widened behind her visor and he could tell that she was smiling.

 

            “The kids liked the supplies the best, especially when they found those human toys you hid on there. The Admirals and Captains liked the data the best.” Tali replied before turning to glare at Prazza. “Prazza, weapons down. This is definitely Commander John Shepard.”

 

            “Why is one of your old commanders working for Cerberus?” Prazza snapped.

 

            “I don’t know, maybe we should ask,” Tali retorted and John sighed, running a hand over the top of his head before speaking.

 

            “I nearly died Tali. Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me after they found me. They want me to investigate the attacks on the human colonies in return.” John explained.

 

            “A likely story,” Prazza bit out, crossing his arms. “No organization would commit so many resources to bring back one soldier.”

 

            “You’ve never met a Shepard, Prazza.” Tali snapped. “Trust me it was money well spent.” Tali turned back to John. “Perhaps we can work together. We’re here looking for a quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage.”

 

            “Isn’t that a little strange? A quarian visiting a remote human colony?” John asked and Tali seemed to hesitate.

 

            “Quarians can choose where they go on pilgrimage and there was an invitation for quarians on pilgrimage to visit human colonies no too long ago. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always…nervous in crowds.” Tali explained and Prazza huffed.

 

            “She means that he was unstable.” Prazza snapped. "Combine that with damage to his suit’s CO scrubbers and an infection from open-air exposure, and he’s likely delirious.”

 

            “When he saw us landing, he hid in the warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved.” Tali explained and John grunted. Well that explained that.

 

            “Veetor is the only one that can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him.” John noted and Tali nodded.

 

            “That’s a good idea. We’ll need two teams anyway to get past the drones.” Tali mused.

 

            “Now we’re working for Cerberus?!” Prazza cried out.

 

            “No, Prazza, you’re working for me. If you can’t follow orders, go wait on the ship.” Tali ordered. Prazza huffed and stormed off as Tali turned back to them. “Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We’ll circle around the far side and down off some of the drones to clear you a path.”

 

            “Make sure to stay in radio contact.” John said and Tali nodded.

 

            “Will do. Good luck, Shepard. Whatever happens...it’s good to have you back.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            John rolled to the left and slid behind a stack up of crates as he cursed out the stupid quarians who had rushed into this. He’d barely got Tali’s warning in time as they’d opened the doors and the YMIR mech opened firing, slaughtering the poor bastards as John and his team moved into position.

 

The YMIR mech whirred, pausing in its shooting to scan the area for targets as John settled against the crates. He slapped his pistol to his thigh, ignoring the hum as the magnetic holster snapped it to his thigh with a clunk as he yanked his assault rifle from his back. As it unfolded in his hands he peeked around the edge to see what the YMIR was doing and John cursed a moment later as the damn thing was just turning to face his position. It spotted him and aimed with its other hand, firing a rocket at him. John jerked back just as it impacted with the crates, blowing a chunk of them away.

 

            “Commander!” Jacob called out and he turned to his left, seeing Miranda crouched with the other man behind some other crates. Jacob signaled with his free hand, asking for orders. John winced as the mech opened fire again with its machinegun, loud metallic thuds preceding it as it advanced on his position. He hated to do it but it had him pinned down here. He signaled to Jacob, who was still watching him intently, what he wanted them to do. When the Cerberus agent got the message, he indicated his acceptance before turning to inform Miranda. John winced as another rocket hit the crates, sending the top portion flying over his head.

 

            “ _Grenades, Shepard_?” John muttered to himself in a passable imitation of Miranda’s voice, “ _What do you need grenades for?_ Well I can’t roll heavy weapons under an approaching death machine so they explode, can I?” He glanced again to his left and saw the Cerberus agents were gone. “They better have done what I said.” More stomps followed John’s mutterings and he dared peak around what was left of his crates…to peer straight into the YMIR machine’s legs.

 

“Fuck.” He muttered, trying to bring his gun to bare as the machine peered down at him and extended the arm with the rocket launcher at his face, the arm humming as it charged just moments before two large crates smashed into it, both glowing biotic blue.

 

“We’ve got you covered Shepard!” Miranda called out from the other end of the courtyard, both biotics glowing as they each biotically lifted some more crates to throw. Following its programming, the YMIR mech turned to face the biggest threat and began opening fire. John didn’t hesitate and scrambled to his feet, moving around the corner of a building not too far away to get some distance. He looked around the corner and frowned. The mech had shrugged off the impacts, firing on his biotic teammates forcing them to dive out of the way of a rocket and splitting them apart.  Miranda made it to cover just fine but Jacob was thrown by the explosion to smash into the top of a concrete barrier and go over the edge. John checked the team hud momentarily and was relieved that Jacob was still alive but unconscious.

 

            “Whoever invented these fucking machines should be drug out into the street and shot.” John snarled, opening fire from his position. The YMIR mech slowly turned to John’s new position before opening fire. John ducked back just in time as the machinegun fire shredded the building corner. It stopped firing the gun and John leaned out to fire again just moments before it shot a rocket at him. He ducked back and after the rocket hit the edge of the building he leaned out again to open fire again, ducking back yet again as it switched to its machine gun again. John nodded to himself as he slowly got a gauge of its programming. There were pauses as it switched, unable to fire both at once but the fucking thing kept advancing to the target deemed the highest threat. Just after the mech’s shields dropped he got a decent plan together in his mind. He’d have to chance the comms and order Miranda to switch off between the two of them. They could keep it in the middle of the court yard and whittle down its armor. He brought up his fingers to press-

 

            “Get away from him you bosh'tet!” John jerked at Tali’s cry and looked out just in time to see a holo-drone explode next to the YMIR mech. His eyes followed the YMIR’s head turn toward the building where the Quarians were taking cover. He saw Tali there, her omin-tool glowing and her shotgun in one hand. He recognized the pattern scrolling on her omni-tool even from this distance. She was trying to hack the mech but to do that her omni-toll needed a line of sight to the hacking target which meant Tali couldn’t take cover. John felt his blood run cold as the mech raised its rocket arm at her. It was going to…

 

            “NO!” John felt the shout escape his lips as he charged. Its back was to John, he had to draw its attention back to him. He opened fire and felt his heart sink as it didn’t turn away. Its arm was starting to hum and his adrenaline kicked in as time seemed to slow again.  He had to kill it, here and now. He took a leap as he ran, slamming into the mech’s back, clinging to it with his left hand clamped on its shoulder. The sudden weight threw its aim off and the YMIR mech’s rocket went sailing by Tali. It began to thrash, trying to throw him off as John pulled himself up by his left hand and planted his feet onto its hips. He snarled and jammed the tip of his assault rifle into the joint where the neck met the shoulders. He opened fire, emptying the clip into the YMIR mech as it stomped backwards, intent on crushing John between it and the building. John tossed his assault rifle away, unable to change the clip one handed. A dark expression came over his face as he ignored Tali and Miranda’s screams for him to let go, thrusting his right hand into the smoking hole he’d blasted open and grabbed the YMIR mech’s wiring, hoses and the ragged edge of the hole. He leaned back, snarling with the effort as he tried to rip its head off. For a moment, nothing happened just the mech stomping closer to the wall. Then it shuttered and slowed, as John felt the head begin to pull up. John strained and then let out a shout of rage before yanking upward, tearing the head free with the loud sound of metal shearing.

 

John tossed the head aside as the wires from the neck stub sparked, the hoses gushing hydraulic fluid and coolant. He blinked in surprised as the YMIR mech fell to its knees as it began to beep and whine loudly. Then John was flying through the air, encased in a biotic field, just before he was slammed to the ground next to a glowing Miranda. As soon as he landed by her feet she encased them in a biotic shield just as the YMIR mech exploded. John blinked in shock as shrapnel rained down around them and bounced off the shield. As she lowered the biotic field Miranda shot John an exasperated look.

 

            “Those mechs explode if their heads are removed, Commander.” She informed him in a superior tone and John rolled his eyes before getting to his feet.

 

            “I really need some sort of primer on what I’ve missed,” he retorted just before a purple and grey blur crashed into him, hugging him tightly.

 

            “You crazy bosh'tet!” Tali barked, hugging the Spectre tightly. Then she looked up at him, smacking a fist and her forearm against his chest. “What were you thinking?”

 

            “Probably what you were, that I wouldn’t let my friend die,” John pointed out. Tali muttered something but moved away from John, holding one of his hands in hers. As Miranda went to check on Jacob, Tali shot the Cerberus agents a look before leaning towards John.

 

            “I can’t promise it’ll be soon but I’ll try to send Jane a message as soon as I’m able. You should probably see to Veetor now while I tend to my wounded.” The Quarian whispered softly.

 

            “Thanks, Tali.” John replied and squeezed her hand reassuringly before moving towards the colony’s control building. He idly noted that Jane would have had a fit if she saw where the building was located and how unguarded it was. As the doors opened and he entered the room he was willing to bet they didn’t have any auxiliary stations either. In the far end of the room was single workstation with several screens. There was a Quarian frantically working away, muttering to himself as he did. Relieved John entered to room and approached Veetor.

 

            “-ide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no.”

 

            “Veetor?” John called out to the man. Veetor didn’t turn around, just kept working at the console.

 

            “No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can’t find. Monster coming. Have to hide.” The man gibbered.

 

            “Nobody’s going to hurt you anymore.” John said in his best soothing tone. “Just turn around and talk to me. Can you do that for me?”

 

            Silence was his answer and John sighed.

 

            “I don’t think he can hear you Commander,” Jacob mused, watching the frantic quarian working away. John sighed and ignored Veetor’s continuing rambles to access his omni-tool. He sent a basic command to the screens to power down. Veetor seem to feeze as the screens shut down and he shook his head. Seeming to come back to himself the quarian turned around and looked at John and the others as if he had just realized they were in the room.

 

            “You’re human.” Veetor said with surprise in his voice. “Where did you hide? How come they didn’t find you?” he asked getting to his feet.

 

            “Who didn’t get us?” Miranda asked.

 

            “The…the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone.” Veetor said with a gesture of his left hand.

 

            “We’re not survivors Veetor,” John explained. “We just got here.”

 

            “You don’t know then. You didn’t see. But I see everything.” Veetor replied, turning back to the screens. He tapped something on the console and video began to play using all of the screens.

 

            “Looks like security footage, He must’ve pieced it together manually.” Miranda mused. John made a distracted hum as he watched the screen. He saw insect like aliens, bipedal and extremely organized. They were loading colonists in pods who seemed to be in some sort of stasis. An occasional group of bugs would fly by the camera.

 

            “What the hell is that?” Jacob muttered, unknowingly echoing John’s thoughts.

 

            “My God, I think that’s a Collector.” Miranda said, freezing the security footage.

 

            “I always thought they were urban myth.” John mused. “But seeing is believing.”

 

            “The seeker swarms.” Veetor said, pointing to a portion of the video with a cluster of the flying insects. “No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away.”

 

            “Go on Veetor, what happened next?” John prodded the man.

 

            “The monsters took the people onto the ship and then they left. The ship flew away. But they’ll be back for me. No one escapes.” Veetor whimpered.

 

            “Thank you Veetor.” John said, patting the man on the shoulder. Veetor took a deep breath but sat in the chair and huddled into it.

 

            “I scanned them. The monesters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni-tool. Lots of readings.” Veetor said, raising his omni-tool.

 

            “We need to get that data to the Illusive Man. Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up.” Miranda ordered. John frowned and was about to reply just as the doors opened to the room.

 

            “No, absolutely not.” Tali said as she entered the room and conversation. “Veetor is hurt and needs medical attention. We can send you the data after we take him back to the ship we’re going to rendezvous with.”

 

            “Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you, we’ll never get the intel we need.” Miranda retorted.

 

            “Prazza was an idiot and he and his men paid for it. You’re welcome to take his omni-tool data but please. Just let me take him.” Tali countered. John smiled. Tali sure had come a long way since he’d last seen her.

 

            “Done. That works out best for us all anyways.” John said and Tali sighed and Miranda nodded, acknowledging the order.

 

            “Thank you Shepard. I’m glad you’re still the one giving orders.” Tali said. John headed over to Veetor and helped the quarian stand and led him over to Tali who put an arm around the traumatized quarian’s shoulders. As John walked them outside Tali looked over Veetor’s shoulders at John.

 

            “I’m sorry I can’t go with you John but I have my own mission to complete.” Tali explained and John nodded in understanding.

 

            “Can you send Jane a message as soon as you take off?” John asked casually. Tali shot him a look and John could see the sadness in her eyes.

 

            “I’m sorry John but we’re on a communications blackout till we complete our mission.” Tali explained and John sighed.

 

            “Well it was worth a shot. I’ll give you the extranet account Cerberus gave me. Stay in touch.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane sat on the bridge with Julius Rex, a young turian pilot who had volunteered to take the batarian ship. He was already planning on naming it Terror of the Hegemony and painting Jane on the hull like the old human warplanes. Jane wasn't sure she was all that comfortable with that and told him it was more likely to get him into fights with batarians. Julius had only laughed and said he wasn't dumb enough to work with batarians. Jane had countered he was dumb enough to fly with them. The kid still hadn't answered but had asked to take a holo with Jane. She had allowed it and he had it sitting on the flight console. It was somewhat amusing to have a turian Conrad Verner.

 

            "How far out are we?" Jane asked and Julius chuckled.

           

            "We'll be there in two days," he said and Jane sighed.

 

            "They sure took us off course," she muttered as she rubbed Blasto's belly. The varren's long tongue was laying on the floor as he grinned the happy grin of all friendly quadrupeds.

 

            "Urdnot-Shepard," Tomrux, a krogan mercenary nodded as he entered the flight deck with food. Jane paused and Blasto sat up, sniffing before flopping back down and rolling all four legs up. No poison in the food. "You made that varren weak."

 

            "That's not what your mom said," Jane shot back and Tomrux laughed. It was a hearty krogan laugh. Tomrux and Jane got along, he had helped her get the passengers hidden away while she had taken out the slavers. He was going to Omega for his son's wedding to an asari dancer.  

 

            "You Urdnot always go for the mothers," Tomrux laughed as he handed a plate to Jane, a plate to Julius, and put a plate on the floor for Blasto. "Good varren, you kill well, but you're an embarrassment to your race." He petted Blasto before getting up. "What plans do you have on Omega, Urdnot-Shepard?"

 

            "I'm on a vacation," Jane said and the krogan stared at her with one green-yellow eye.

 

            "Is that what Spectres call this?" he asked.

 

            "A friend of mine is missing, last location was Omega. I'm hoping to find him," Jane said and Tomrux nodded.

 

            "Alive," he muttered.

 

            "He's not dead," Jane said, giving Tomrux a look and the krogan smirked.

 

            "Ah, so you're here to kill your lover, admirable," Tomrux chuckled and Jane shook her head.

           

            "Just a friend, I know he's not dead because if he were...I'd hunt him down in the afterlife and kill him again," Jane said and Tomrux nodded.

 

            "The Urdnot were right about you," he said. "You should have been born a krogan."

 

            "A male krogan, your women are too political, talking all the time," Jane said and Tomrux let out another krogan belly laugh.

 

            "Tell me about it," he said before he headed out.

 

            "It's gross when you flirt," Julius said and Jane laughed.

 

            "Why is it I always get the sarcastic smart ass pilots?" she asked and Julius flared his mandibles happily.

 

            "You just draw out the best in people?" he suggested and Jane chuckled as she began to rub Blasto's belly again. Garrus was alive, Jane refused to believe her friend was dead...the thought of Garrus dead in one of Omega's back alleys made her throat want to close up. Not Garrus, there was no way he was dead. He was going to wish he was when she caught up to him though.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 12th, 2186 CE

Location: Unknown, Secret Cerberus Facility

 

 

“Shepard, good work on Freedom’s Progress. I was surprised you were able to get the data from the Quarians without having the take the quarian.” The Illusive Man commented.

 

            “I work best by getting along with people, especially old teammates. You should try it sometime.” John retorted.

 

            “Most importantly, however, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions.” The Illusive Man noted.

 

            “I get the feeling you already knew about them.” John mused, crossing his arms.

 

            “I had my suspicions but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best.”

 

            “You’re holding something back.” John accused. “How do you know the Reapers are involved?”

 

            “The patterns are there, buried in the data.” The Illusive Man began.

 

            “That’s not an answer, that’s deflecting the question!” John snapped.

 

            “The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign.” The Illusive Man explained. “You and I know better. I won’t wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them.”

 

            “If this is a war I’ll need an army. Or a really good team.” John mused, placing his hands behind his back. “You told me before that my old team wasn’t possible to bring in. I assume you’ve already got some ideas on who to recruit this time around.”

 

            “I’ve already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You’ll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging but you’re a natural leader. I’ll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I’ll notify you and your team. Be ready.”

 

            “You worry about the Collectors, I’ll make sure my team is ready.” John agreed.

 

            “Good. Two things before you go.” The Illusive Man said, tagging a drag of his cigarette. “First head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He’s a brilliant scientist. Our intelligence suggest he may know how to counteract the Collector’s paralyzing seeker swarms.”

 

            “All right, I’ll think about it. What’s the other thing?” John asked.

 

            “We found a pilot you might like. I hear he’s one of the best. Someone you can trust.” The Illusive Man said, before cutting the transmission.

 

            “Hey Commander.” A familiar and very welcome voice called out behind him. John turned around and couldn’t help the big grin that spread across his face as he saw Joker come strolling into the room. “Just like old times, huh?”

 

            “Ha, damn good to see you Joker! I can’t believe it’s you!” John exclaimed, striding over and giving the man a firm hand shake. Joker winced a bit but grinned at him.

 

            “Look who’s talking I saw you get spaced.” Joker replied and gestured for the Commander to follow him. John did and noticed Joker was walking without crutches. He hoped it was due to new medical treatments. Joker deserved that much.

 

            “I got lucky, with a lot of strings attached. How did you end up here? Why aren’t you flying for Jane?” John asked and Joker sighed.

 

            “It all just fell apart Commander. Everything you and Jane stirred up the Council just wanted it gone. Jane went into a deep mission right after we got attacked and when she got back she just drifted away. We all called and left messages. Nothing. Then the Alliance grounded me. Said I wasn’t needed any gave me an honorable discharge. I sent Jane an email begging her to ask for me. I mean someone had to be piloting for her, even in a shuttle. Found out later she signed off _on_ the discharge. I think she blamed me for what happened to you. She said she didn’t when I last talked to her about six months after that but I was still grounded and then railroaded out. So hell yeah I joined Cerberus.”

 

            “Shit Joker, I’m sorry.” John replied. “You trust this Illusive Man to do right by you?”

 

            “I don’t trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren’t all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly, and then there’s this.” Joker said. John finally turned and realized that Joker had led him to window, overlooking a spaceship dry dock. As the lights came on inside the bay John felt his heart skip a beat.

 

            The Normandy. Or at least a stealth ship in the same class. The basic design was there and she was a bit larger but he knew instantly it was his ship. He was home. As his eyes drank her in, he noted the white, yellow and black colors along with the Cerberus logos and the bold SR2 on her.

 

            “They only told me about it last night.” Joker said and John just smiled. “It’s good to be home, huh Commander?”

 

            “I guess we’ll have to give her a name.” John noted. “I already have one all picked up.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            After John had been led from room to room, given a detailed tour of the Normandy SR-2 he’d retreated to his quarters, his mind still swirling. He didn’t know most of the crew, and while most of them seemed to be nice people but it all seemed _too_ perfect. They all seemed genuinely enthused to be here, working for Cerberus and following his lead. The thing that disturbed him most was that Joker and Dr. Chakwas were here. Joker he understood after the other man had explained how the Alliance had turned their back on him but he didn’t understand why Jane hadn’t helped him out. Couldn’t she have requested he be transferred to her ship? John was just happy Joker wasn’t absent without leave but Dr. Chakwas’s reasons just didn’t seem right. Why wasn’t she with Jane if she wanted to still be treating soldiers? Still he had promised some Serrice Ice Brandy, maybe it would loosen her tongue but the fact that she was here cast doubt on her examination results. He needed a doctor who wasn’t in Cerberus’ pocket to examine him. And speaking of… John hit the release commands and passwords on his omni-tool and his armor unlocked with a hiss and then a click. He stripped it off, letting it fall to the ground with an uncharacteristic impatience. When he was clad in only his casual clothes he headed into the bathroom. He steeled himself for a moment before taking a deep breath and stepping in front of the mirror.

 

            He’d caught glimpses of himself the past few days, a reflective surface here, a pool of water there. He’d seen the red lines glowing on his arms, chest and legs as he’d suited up but he finally had a clean, unhurried look at himself. The scar from Elysium was gone and he saw glowing lines beneath thin layers of skin. Miranda had assured him as his body healed and the skin grew over they’d fade but right now it scared the hell out of him. There was even a red glow under the blue of his eyes. He frowned and his mirror self-copied the expression. He reached down to the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up and tossing it aside. The lines followed his ribs and veins. He turned to look at his right side and blinked. The N7 tattoo he’d gotten on his bicep when he’d made N7 was partially gone. The skin looked clean and healthy but most of the 7 was gone and only one leg of the N remained. Dread filled him and he quickly turned to his left and saw the tattoo on his left bicep of the date of the Mindoir raid was still there but the _Never Forget_ he’d had put below it was gone. He slowly faced the mirror again and stared.

 

            “What do I do?” he murmured. “Do I take control of this ship and lock them in a storage room as I set course for Earth? Or do I work for someone who killed my sister’s men and might make me do the same things to someone else?” His reflection didn’t answer and he shook his head. An irrational thought was creeping into his mind, that he _had_ died and this was his hell. He stuck his hands under the facet to activate it and splashed some water on his face.

 

“I’m not dead, I’m _not_ dead,” he mumbled into his hands, the water running down his face. He had to focus, think and figure out a way to contact Jane and the Alliance. As he pulled his hands away and reached for a towel he pondered it over in his mind. The Collectors _were_ taking humans, entire colonies. They had to be stopped and he could use Cerberus to further that goal and gain valuable intel on them. To make this official and ensure he wasn’t arrested on sight he needed to contact the Citadel Council, the Alliance, and Jane. He couldn’t contact any of them directly, Cerberus was sure to be monitoring the extranet account they’d given him and he couldn’t access his old one with their system otherwise they’d have access to it too. He needed someplace that didn’t have their moles. As he dried his face he mentally sorted the dossiers they gave him and then it hit him.

 

            Omega. EDI was right they could get Mordin Solus first and with his STG contacts and Omega being Omega John could obtain access to a terminal not monitored by Cerberus easily enough. He could then, after getting Mordin onboard, recruit Zaeed Massani, followed by Archangel, and have a team not beholden to Cerberus at his back. Mordin was Salarian and Archangel was supposed to be a Turian, neither would be Cerberus plants with Cerberus humans above all else policy. Contacting Jane would serve two-fold. He’d be contacting a representative of the Alliance and the Council. As a Spectre, Jane could provide him with safe passage under her protection to the Citadel.

 

            John threw the towel toward where it was supposed to be and headed out to order Joker to set course.

 

            It was time to go home.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane headed off the newly titled Terror of the Hegemony after the passengers left. Tomrux took a large portion of the credits from the batarian bodies leaving the rest for Julius to get his artwork done. A familiar form greeted Jane as she entered the station.

 

            "Moklan," Jane said.

 

            "Elaina," the batarian replied as he looked over her shoulder at the ship. He rose a set of eyebrows.

 

            "They got paid to take us to Omega, they decided they rather take the money and then sell us," Jane supplied and he shook his head.

 

            "That kid is going to make enemies calling that ship Terror of the Hegemony," he said.

 

            "Tell me about it, he plans on painting me on the side," Jane said and Moklan chuckled.

 

            "We should send him a vid of you dancing," Moklan stated.

           

            "I was earning more than the others by the end," Jane said.

 

            "That's cause you can do a pretty light show," he replied.

 

            "She have time to meet?" Jane asked and Moklan gave her a look. "It is polite to ask the owner of Omega if she wants to meet and not just assume."

 

            "The second she heard the ship's name she sent me here," Moklan said and Jane sighed.

 

            "I'm not the one who named the damn thing," she said and he shrugged.

 

            "Orders are orders," he said as the two headed into Afterlife.

 

            Jane scanned the crowd, as always there was a large turian presence, but while some had the right skin tone and some wore the Palaven face mark, none were Garrus. It wouldn't be that easy after all.

 

            "Well well well, if it isn't my favorite human dancer, did that Citadel job not pan out?" Aria asked and Jane chuckled as she stood in front of Aria.

 

            "I'm not here for business, pleasure this time," Jane said and Aria nodded.

 

            "As soon as we got that ship's name we checked, vacation time, you deserve it," Aria said, tapping her head. Great Aria had seen Jane's ass kicking at krogan hands.

 

            "Lord knows you didn't give me any," Jane said and Aria smirked.

 

            "I am a hard task master, but fair," she said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'm looking for a friend. Former member of my Normandy crew. Garrus Vakarian. Turian, Palaven. Sniper. Should have been a Spectre but had trouble with rules...turians don't get to be Spectres without following rules now," Jane said and Aria blinked.

 

            "If he's causing trouble, he's not doing it alone, no one by that name is making trouble or leading any of the groups who are," Aria said.

 

            "He wouldn't join a mercenary group, he'd be making their lives miserable," Jane said and Aria nodded with a satisfied smirk.

           

            "The only person waging war on the mercenaries is Archangel," Aria said and Jane snorted.

 

            "Archangel...really?" Jane shook her head. "The codenames people chose."

 

            "Are you complaining, Elaina?" Aria asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I had no choice in that and you know it," Jane said and Aria nodded. "May I check out this Archangel to see if Garrus is with him?" Aria's face locked down.

 

            "Archangel's crew just got hit. Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack actually joined forces to hit the team hide out," Aria said and Jane felt her kill face lock. Garrus and his team were in trouble.

 

            "They're dead?" Jane asked and Aria shrugged.

 

            "Unknown. Someone's been fighting back, might be some of the team are dead, might be that all but one is dead. All I know is that Archangel is back in the fight at the hideout and the three merc teams have been throwing men at it since last night," Aria said and Jane clenched a fist. Had those bartarians not decided to fly in the opposite fucking direction Jane would have been able to get Garrus out of Archangel's team before the hit. Aria stared at Jane's fist.

 

            "Someone's still alive on that team you said?" Jane asked and Aria simply stared at the Spectre. The woman had changed since she had danced for Aria and Aria had to respect this new killer. If her turian friend was dead, Jane Shepard might just finish off the three mercenary groups on Omega herself. Aria almost hoped that Jane found her turian dead, it would make a profitable betting event.

 

            "Yes," Aria said as Jane began her questions about the Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack leadership.     

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 14th, 2186 CE

Location: Omega Docking Ramp

 

The thing that hit John first as soon as the doors opened into the ramp area was the smell. A dusty, grimy smell and one he was unfortunately familiar with from his time spent clearing mines and their support towns from merc or pirate raids. The dock was filthy and the first thing to greet the group was a twitchy Salarian.

           

            "Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell. Allow me to-" he didn't finish as a Batarian approached and gave the Salarian a glare. "Oh...hello, Moklan! I was just-"

 

            "Leave, Fargut. Now," Moklan growled. John shook his head at the terror that filled Fargut’s face.

 

            "Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" Fargut said with a salute before turning tail. Moklan made a half-hearted swipe and Fargut took off running, hauling ass down the corridor. John idly noted a Batarian came stumbling past Fargut to collapse against the wall. A human merc followed the batarian and seemed to be talking to him.

 

            "Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega...Shepard," Moklan said and John turned back to face the batarian talking to him.

 

            "You know who I am?" John inquired. Given that’d he’d been incapacitated for years he’d have thought he’d have faded from other people’s memories.

 

            "Of course. We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself," Moklan growled.

 

            "I'm not here to cause problems for Omega," John explained and Moklan smirked.

           

            "Things explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you. Afterlife. Now," he barked before turning and walking away. John rolled his as he heard Miranda sigh behind him.

 

            “So much for quietly moving about the station,” she remarked a moment before their comms came to life.

 

            " _I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr. Mordin Solus runs the clinic. Anticipate resistance at the transport station_ ," EDI's voice stated over the comms. " _I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him._ "

 

            “Thanks EDI, I guess we’re heading to Afterlife. We’ll keep you posted.” John replied before leading the down the corridor. As they got closer to the human and batarian at the end John recognized the man’s armor from one of the dossiers the Illusive Man had given him. He was probably the third man John was going to recruit on Omega.

 

            "Ugh...please," the Batarian cried out, reaching towards John.

 

            "Shut it!" the human growled before kneeing the Batarian in the chest. He dropped to his knees, head rolling on his neck as he stared at John.

 

            "Please...you have to help me," the Batarian pleaded before the man above him kicked him.

           

            "No one said you could talk, jackass," the human growled.

 

            "You Zaeed Massani?" John asked with a sigh. If his luck was still the same as when he’d woken up…

 

            "Yeah. That's me. You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save," Zaeed said, glancing at John. John pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath as a headache settled in. So far, the Illusive Man’s choices for this team were John’s own personal Dr. Frankenstein, a disillusioned former Alliance merc and now a half blind, surly merc who beat his prisoners. This just kept getting better and better. He missed his old team, especially Wrex.

 

            And Tali.

 

            And Garrus.

 

            And Liara. Especially Liara.

 

            Hell he just missed them all.

 

            "I assume you've been briefed?" John asked, pulling his hand away to glare at Zaeed who gave him a look.

           

            "I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know," Zaeed replied.

 

            "My contacts told me we're picking up one man. Not two," John said looking at the Batarian on the ground.

 

            "Batarian delinquent. Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my "bring 'em in alive" rates, even," Zaeed Comment and John rolled his eyes. Oh joy, this was going to be fun.

 

            "Please...I didn't do it..." the Batarian pleaded. Zaeed turned and kicked him in the face.

           

            "I said shut it!" he barked. "Tried to lead me on a chase all over the systems. He should have known better. These people always run to Omega."

 

            "What's going to happen to him?" John asked, curious despite himself.

 

            "I'm going to turn him in for the bounty. Don't much care what happens after that," Zaeed said.

 

            "What's your relationship with Cerberus?" John asked.

 

            "Easy. Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you on your mission. That's the long and short," Zaeed replied.

 

            "Not many mercs would take a suicide mission for the pay," John noted.

 

            "Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus sent me," Zaeed shot back. "This mission doesn't sound like good business. But...your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits.”

 

            "Welcome aboard, we have a lot to do," John said, not fully meaning it. Still he figured he ought to play nice and extended his hand towards Massani.

 

            "That's what they tell me," he said as he shook John's hand. He took out a gun and indicated that the Batarian get up. "I assume the Illusive Man told you about our arrangement?"

 

            "No. I guess he decided to leave that information out of the dossier," John said not really surprised. The Illusive Man probably knew but wanted to test how John would react to that.

 

            "Good thing I asked," Zaeed said as he looked at John. "Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested. You heard the name Vido Santiago? He's the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole organization. Seems he recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using their workers for slave labor. The company wants it dealt with."

 

            "I'll make sure we get that done," John said. If the mission was on the up and up John would defiantly be willing to help.

 

            "Good. Get it out of the way so we can concentrate on being big goddamn heroes," Zaeed said. The Batarian decided to run and Zaheed shot him in the leg from the hip. The man dropped with a grunt and passed out as he slammed face first into the metal deck plate. "I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink. I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done." Zaeed walked over to grab the Batarian and start dragging him away. John watched for a moment before leading the others into Omega proper. Though he had to turn towards Miranda and say-

 

            “If these others are anything like him your Illusive Man sucks at picking personnel.”

 

            Miranda just made an indignant sound as they entered Omega’s main area. The entire area was lit up by the huge neon of Afterlife and John felt amusement fill him.

           

            "Omega. What a pisshole. At least it keeps you on your toes. I've had to come here on business before. I feel like I need a shower afterward...in addition to normal decontamination," Miranda muttered as they headed towards the club. Just as they reached the back of the line of hopefuls waiting to get in an elcor bouncer and a batarian at the door looked at them. The batarian waved them over and as they stepped out of line John heard a man begging the elcor to let him in.

 

            "Aria's expecting you," the batarian said before opening the door.

 

            “Thanks,” John said to the batarian who shot him a calculating look as John led the way into the hall. John rolled his eyes at the gaudy flames images on the screens on either side and briskly walked by the group of drunk batarians. One them tried to slur some insult at John but he just ignored him and quickly entered the interior. John immediately noticed the large circular screen lit up by various shot of the dancers on the round stage surrounding it. Tables on either side of the room, a private meeting room to the left and the bar on the right. It was easy to see where Aria was, in the back overlooking the entire area from a private area. John went to the stairs on the right and was waved up by the batarian guard. John quickly headed up the first set of stairs but was stopped just before he reached the top of the second set.

 

            "That's close enough," the asari who had to be Aria said. She was staring out the large glass window of her private booth, dressed in black jumpsuit and white jacket. As her bodyguards drew on the group, Miranda and Jacob aimed at the two guards closest to John. She flicked her head and the guards holstered their weapons and John gestured for his team to do the same.

           

            "Stand still," the nearest Batarian ordered while activating his omni-tool and running a scanning program on John.

 

            "If you're looking for weapons, you're not doing a very good job," John said in amusement as he held up his pistol.

 

            "Can't be too careful with dead Spectres. That could be anyone wearing your face," Aria replied.

 

            "I was told you're the person to talk to if I have questions," John said, ignoring the batarian scanning him as he holstered his gun

 

            "They're clean," the Batarian said and Aria turned to look at John for the first time. John blinked. He had noted her skin tone was purple but she had various marking surrounding her face and a smirking, smug look. Dangerous and beautiful, she had the bearing of a regal Queen.

           

            "Depends on the questions," she said.

 

            "You run Omega?" John asked and she gave him a condescending chuckle before turning her back and holding out her hands like she was able to grasp Omega in her arms.

 

            "I am Omega," she said proudly. "But you need more. Everyone needs more something. And they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule." She turned and sat, gazing at John. "Don't fuck with Aria." She finished with a little smirk and waved a hand at the couch end to her right.

 

            "I like it. Easy to remember," John said as he sat down.

 

            "If you forget, someone will remind you," she said looking at the Batarian.

 

            "And then I toss your sorry ass out the nearest airlock," he said.

 

            ""So, what can I do for you?" she asked. John leaned back and resting his foot on the opposing knee casually. Aria raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing, just looking amused by him.

 

            "I'm looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where I can find him?" John inquired.

 

            "The Salarian doctor? Last, I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone. I always liked Mordin. He's as likely to heal you as he is to shoot you," Aria said with a slight smile.

 

            "What can you tell me about him?" John asked.

 

            "Used to be part of the Salarian Special Tasks Group. He's brilliant and dangerous. Just don't get him talking. He never shuts up. If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in, of course," she said.

 

            "Thanks for the information, Aria. Maybe I'll come back later," John stated.

 

            "Maybe I'll be here," Aria retorted.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Complaining is pointless, human. There's a plague. Nobody gets in or out," a turian guard said to a human woman as John and his team approached.

 

            "You can't keep me out! I live in there!" she cried.

 

            "I'm doing you a favor, lady. If you go in, the guards will cut you down," the turian said growled, shifting his gun in his hands.

 

            "You can't do this! Everything I own is in that apartment!" she wailed and the turian snorted.

 

            "I told you to get lost, lady! The plague has the whole zone quarantined! Nobody gets in!" the turian growled.

 

            "I'm human, you ass! Humans can't get the plague! Now let me get my stuff out before looters get it!" the woman shouted.

 

            "This thing affects every other race out there! We're not taking chances. Nobody gets in until the plague has run its course," the turian stated, matter of factly.

 

            "So, you're saying the slums are completely sealed off?" John asked, stepping closer and inserting himself into the conversation.

 

            "Finally, a human that can hear. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," the turian said in exasperation.

 

            "You can't keep me out! I'm going to lose all my stuff!" the woman cried.

 

            "I'm doing you a favor, human. Anybody in the quarantine zone will be dead from the plague or the gangs in a few weeks," the turian retorted.

 

            "There's a Salarian named Mordin Solus in the slums. I've got to get in there to find him," John interjected as the woman took in a deep breath to either scream or continue shouting.

 

            John wasn’t sure which and didn’t want to hear either.

 

            "The doctor? Crazy bastard opened a clinic in the district a few months ago. The Blue Suns weren't too happy when he moved in. I hear Mordin's trying to deal with the plague. I wish him luck, but the area is still locked down. Our orders are to wait until either the plague or the Blue Suns kill everyone, then go in and clean up," the turian said.

 

            "Listen, you're stuck here until this quarantine is over. That could take weeks. What you really need is to get this problem solved right now. That's what I do...solve problems. Let me in and I'll get this district straightened out," John reasoned.

 

            "You think you can fix this, why not? The quarantine is more to keep infected people in, anyway. I'll radio ahead, tell them you're coming in," the turian said.

 

            "Wait, you're stopping me but not them? You son of a bitch!" the woman cried.

 

            "You don't have a grenade launcher, lady. Get lost," the turian dismissed the woman and John shook his head in amusement as the woman stormed away.

 

            "Fortunately, humans are immune to the plague," Miranda commented to Jacob as they headed inside.

 

            “Is that why we didn’t get Archangel first?” Jacob asked John.

 

            “That’s part of it,” John agreed but not explaining the rest of his reasons to Jacob as they passed the armed guards. After they passed the last set of doors John was immediately assaulted by a smell he’d wished he’d never have smelled again.

 

            “They’re burning the bodies, trying to stop the spread of the plague,” Miranda noted, a disgusted expression on her face. John just grunted, moving quickly by the bonfires. He could understand the reasoning of it but it still brought back bad memories. They swiftly made their way deeper into the slums. John ignored Miranda and Jacob’s protests as he stopped momentarily to help a sick batarian. After getting the man on his feet they headed swiftly past him and ran into a group of mercs, their arms loaded with stolen valuables. They dropped their loot to scramble for their guns when they spotted John and the others but they were quickly put down by the team. Later still they ran into a couple who’d barricaded themselves inside their home. After convincing them to follow them into Mordin’s clinic after John had cleared the way, John hurried deeper still with Miranda and Jacob at his heels. After clearing out another area of mercs and looters John found two humans looting an apartment and the body of dead turian. Despite being tempted to shoot them both John gave them a chance to clear out. A short while later, after clearing out more mercs they finally arrived at the clinic.

 

            The receptionist had mechs behind them was the first thing John noted as they entered the front area of the clinic.

 

            “We’re here to get some help from Professor Solus. May we speak with him?” Miranda spoke up before John could. John rolled his eyes but stayed silent, looking around the wide area with various people. He saw human help a batarian lay down on a couch and turian who was lying on a hospital gurney breathing air through a mask.

 

            “The doctor’s in the back, seeing to a couple of patients who came in. End of the hall on the right.” the female receptionist stated, pointing to the hall just past the receptionist desk. Nodding his thanks John headed down the hall and into the room she mentioned. Several patients were lying on tables but John noted they were all breathing clearly and not one was coughing. A salarian was taking readings over one of the patients and John mentally compared him to the dossier on Mordin Solus. One horn was cut short, scars doted his face, one noticeably in a crisscross pattern. Wearing salarian armor similar to STG but outfitted with medical colors and equipment.

 

            "Professor Mordin Solus?" John asked even though the man matched the dossier description of him perfectly.

 

            "Hmm. Don't recognize you from the area. To well-armed to be refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect. Here for something else. Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom, not a cause. The plague! Investigating possible use as bio-weapon? No. Too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers, not scientists. Hired guns, maybe? Looking for someone? Yes! But who? Someone important. Valuable. Someone with secrets. Someone like me," Mordin quickly thought aloud.

 

            "Relax, Mordin. I'm Commander Shepard, and I came here to find you. I'm on a critical mission, and I need your help," John interrupted.

 

            "Mission? What mission? No. Too busy. Clinic understaffed. Plague spreading too fast. Who sent you?" Mordin asked.

 

            "It's a covert and privately funded human group," John said, purposely avoiding naming Cerberus just yet.

 

            "Related to plague? Doesn't affect humans. Human-centric interest. Few human groups would know me. Equipment suggests military origin. Not Alliance standard. Only one human Spectre. Terra Firma too unstable. Only one option. Cerberus sent you. Unexpected," Mordin said, narrowing his eyes. John blinked at that. The dossier had said Mordin was above average intelligence for a Salarian, even possibly genius level. To see the man quickly whirl through all scenarios and possibilities was impressive…and just a bit unnerving.

 

            "You're very well-informed. How did a Salarian scientist hear about Cerberus?" John asked.

 

            "Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans. Why request Salarian aid?" Mordin inquired.

 

            "The Collectors are kidnapping entire human populations. We're going to find out why and stop them," John stated simply and Mordin made little hum sound as he turned back to his work.

 

            "Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting these slums is engineered. Collectors one of few groups with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But must stop plague first. Already have a cure. Need to distribute it at environmental control center. Vorcha guarding it. Need to kill them," Mordin rambled.

 

            "I'll get in and deal with the vorcha," John offered right as the air system shut down. John blinked and looked up with a frown.

 

            "That sounded troubling," Miranda muttered.

 

            "Vorcha have shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates. Here, take plague cure. Also, bonus in good faith. Weapon from dead Blue Suns mercs. May come in handy against vorcha. One more thing. Daniel. One of my assistants. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back," Mordin said handing John the cure and a high end pistol.

 

            "If I see him, I'll do what I can to help," John promised.

 

            "Thank you. Told him not to go. But he's smart. Bright future. I hope," Mordin said and paused. He turned on his omni-tool and tapped away for a moment. When he turned it off John’s beeped to indicate a received message.

 

            “What did you send me Doctor Solus?” John inquired turning his on.

 

            “Old STG encryption codes. Use to secure the air filtration system. Codes several years out of date but will keep vorcha and others from accessing again. Cypher included, distribute to someone trust worthy on Omega.”

 

            “Is there such a person?” Jacob wondered and John just sighed.

 

            "Thank you, professor. Come on you two, let's head for the environmental plant," John said heading for the clinic’s other exit, Jacob and Miranda quickly following.

 

~*TF*~

 

            It was more of the same. Running into groups and groups of mercs, the number of vorcha amongst them was increasing the closer they got to the ventilation system. That made sense to John, given that the virus would be higher concentrations closer to probably dispersal site. As they were about to head down the stairs after dealing with the mercs setting up another poorly thought-out ambush, John heard angry voices. Judging from the tone it sounded like batarians to him. When a terrified, male human responded to them John sighed. It looked like they had found Mordin’s assistant. John abruptly changed direction and headed for the room. Jamming the open command on the console the door swung open to reveal Daniel being held by a batarian in a miner’s jumpsuit, two other batarians watching. The man holding Daniel by his shirt glared into the doctor’s face as he stammered out a plea.

 

            “…came here to help you!” Daniel finished as John took cover on the corner.

 

            “We know you’re spreading the plague virus!” the man growled. “We saw the vials in your bag.”

 

            “No, those vials contain the cure!” Daniel protested. “Please…you have to believe me.”

 

            “Maybe we should cut off your fingers.” The man snarled and John had heard enough. He swiftly entered the room with his pistol raised. “That should…”

 

            “Look out!” One of his friends barked out. The batarian holding Daniel shoved him away and John was mildly impressed with how fast he faced John while raising a pistol to aim directly at Daniel’s face.

 

            “Don’t move!” the leader barked and John stopped. “One more step and we kill your friend.”

 

            “Just take a deep breath.” John advised. “I know everyone is bit tense right now so don’t jump the gun. I’m know you’re scared. Of the vorcha. Of the plague. But this man isn’t to blame.” John slowly pulled his offhand away from his gun before settling the gun on his thigh and then holding his hands out in front of him, palms out. “I want you to take it easy and just think for a moment. If this man was spreading the plague why would he come into vorcha territory? They’re immune.”

 

            “He’s right, it doesn’t make sense,” The one who had alerted the leader to John and the others presence. The leader seemed to consider that before narrowing his eyes at John.

 

            “If we release the prisoner, we can go?” he asked and John nodded.

 

            “You have my word on that.” John replied instantly, ignoring the grunt of disagreement Jacob made at that. The leader lowered his gun and looked at the man behind Daniel.

 

            “Let him go,” he ordered before turning to face John again. “You got what you wanted, human. Are we free to go?”

 

            “Of course. We had a deal.” John said, lowering his hands and stepping aside. The leader grunted in surprise but quickly started walking by them.

 

            “Huh, human nobility. I didn’t think such a thing existed, especially since your only Spectre is the Terror of the Hegemony.” The man said. John blinked in surprise at that. Jane was still the only human Spectre since he had been declared dead. Did that mean…?

 

            “Hey wait! What did you mean by that?” John called out after them but the door swiftly closed behind them. Frowning and even more concerned for Jane, John turned to face Daniel who was shakily leaning against some crates, trying to gather his composure.

 

            “You alright kid?” John asked and Daniel nodded.

 

            “I think I’ll be okay. Thank you for that, I thought they were going to…to kill me.” Daniel replied, wringing his hands. “Did Mordin send you to find me?”

 

            “He asked me to keep an eye out for you. We’re going to distribute the cure in the ventilation system, head on back. The way should be clear.” John replied, turning to head out of the room.

 

            “Thank you, guys!” Daniel called out after them. It was quiet for the rest of the way to the ventilation room as John thought about what that batarian had said. Jane had earned the nickname ‘the Terror of the Hegemony’? What had she been doing while he’d been in that hospital? As soon as he could he’d needed to be brought up to speed. Hopefully his Spectre and Alliance clearance would help fill in the gaps when they were reinstated. Hopefully he could read Jane’s mission reports and see what his twin had been up to. e’d read the mission reports Jane had filed and try to readTaking the stairs two at a time up to the control room John hoped Jane hadn’t gone off the rails completely. As soon as the doors to the air filtration system opened a vorcha came running over to them, hissing.

 

            “You no come here. We shut down machines, break fans!” the vorcha snarled, skidding to stop not too far from them, making John blink. “Everyone choke and die. Then Collectors make us strong!”

 

            “What do the Collectors want?” John snapped at him. The vorcha threw his head back, shaking it back and forth as he hissed.

 

            “Collectors want plague! You work for doctor, turn on machines, put cure in air. We kill you first!”

 

            “Yeah, screw that,” John replied to the snarling Vorcha, snapping up his pistol and placing a round right between his eyes. Miranda made some sort of annoyed sound behind him as a biotic shield sprang to life around them, covering them from gunfire as the other Vorcha opened fire.

 

            “Was that really necessary, Commander?” she questioned as they dove for cover just before the barrier fell. John just shot her a grin as Jacob shook his head before popping up from behind cover to hit a Vorcha screaming as it rushed at them. Jacob’s biotic Throw caught the Vorcha square in the chest and sent it hurtling away, smashing into a pyro Vorcha and sending them both over the edge to their deaths.

 

            “Nice shot, think you can clear a path to the right side?” John asked, looking to the left. He quickly switched out for his assault rifle and shot a Vorcha aiming a rocket launcher at him. His timing couldn’t have been better as the Vorcha collapsed back, involuntarily pulling the trigger, killing itself and some of his comrades.

 

            “Not a problem Shepard,” Jacob said, shooting two Vorcha in the chest, making them stagger back just enough for Miranda to slam them together with her biotics.

 

            “I’m going left then, you two move right and hopefully we’ll reach both fan controls at the same time,” John ordered. He didn’t wait for a reply, getting up and quickly approaching the Vorcha coming for them from the left. As he fell back into the old rhythms he took stock of the groups approaching him. Swifty shooting the ones he saw as the biggest threat, he steadily made his way down the ramp and towards the fan controls taking out the others as he moved. One Vorcha tried to surprise him by leaping from behind a pillar, snarling as it jammed its gun at his stomach. He reacted in an instant, slamming the butt of his assault rifle in its face. The Vorcha staggered back, blood gushing from its nostrils just before John kicked it in the stomach. The vorcha went stumbling back, frantically clawing for something to keep itself upright and luckily managed to snatch John’s rifle from his hands. John cursed but rushed it and slammed a fist into its face sending the Vorcha tumbling back and eventually slamming into the edge railing before falling over the side. As John caught his breath and noted that no one else was shooting at him just before he heard a bellowing roar from his left and turned to see a charging Krogan barreling down on him.

 

“Shit!” John cried, diving to the right and narrowly missing a Krogan charge. The Krogan skidded to a halt, turning to glare at John as he got to his feet.

 

“Not bad human, but I’m going to rip your skull off and roast your carcass over-” The Krogan was cut off as John slugged him. The Krogan’s head whipped to the left but his furious eyes never looked away from John. The Krogan growled and moved his mouth about before spitting out a broken tooth.

 

“You talk too much.” John noted. The Krogan straightened and growled at John, making John wish he had his knife. Damn stuck up Cerberus operatives and armory budgets.

 

“I like you human, I’ll give your skull a place of honor in my trophy case,” the Krogan snarled, lunging at John to try and grab him in a bear hug. John ducked and stepped to the right, slinging his left arm under the Korgan’s arm and then grabbing his shoulder. John struck out with several punches, aiming for where he remembered the Krogan kidney cluster being. The Krogan bellowed in rage, grabbing John’s arm and throwing him at the edge railing. John tucked and used to the momentum to turn himself so he slammed into the railing feet first. He connected with a loud thud and let the momentum push him into a crouch before John extended his legs into a jump. The Krogan’s eyes widened comically as John leaped back at him, his momentum carrying them both back and impacting them both into the wall, the Krogan taking the brunt of it. John rolled away and hopped to a crouch, looking at the Krogan with narrowed eyes. The Krogan shook his head and staged to his feet. John noticed the back of his opponent’s armor was cracked around the hump and the back of the Krogan’s head crest was bleeding profusely.

 

“I’m going to fucking kill you!” the Krogan bellowed, charging again. John waited, staying crouched and watching. Just as the man was almost on him John stepped to the side, grabbed the Krogan’s arm and tripped him. The Krogan smashed face first into the ground with a loud crunch. Not waiting for the Krogan to recover John stepped over and stomped his right boot on the back of his neck. The Krogan let out a wet gurgle as he began to twitch. Remembering that Kroagn had redundant nervous systems, John pulled his pistol and placed it to the back, under side of the man’s crest before emptying the clip into his head.

 

            “Sorry, I know that was a bad way to go but you didn’t give me much choice,” John remarked to the man’s corpse as he holstered his pistol. He turned away to continue his steady march towards the fan control room. He reached the door shortly and slammed a fist into the open button of the console. As the doors popped they revealed a Vorcha Pyro standing in the doorway, raising its flamethrower to aim at him.

 

            “Really?” John asked, snatching the flamethrower from the Vorcha’s hands and yanking back so hard it ripped free of the hoses leading to the tanks on the Vorcha’s back. “This was your brilliant plan, stand in front of the closed doors and incinerate me point blank without any cover?”

 

            The Vorcha just hissed at him and John rolled his eyes before using the flamethrower like a club and smashing the Vorcha in the face. Dropping the now bent flamethrower on top of the unconscious Vorcha he quickly moved to the controls and turned them on before inputting the encryption code Mordin had given them. He promised himself he’d send Aria a message with the cypher before he left. No reason to get an angry message from the Queen of Omega a few days later asking for it. He raised his fingers to press against the earbud in his ear.

 

            “This fan is going and the controls are encrypted. How are you guys doing?” John inquired. The comms crackled for a moment before he heard the fans starting up over them.

 

            _“All set, Commander, and the remaining mercs are retreating, I think they’ve given up for now.”_ Miranda replied and John sighed in relief.

 

            “Good to hear, Vorcha are easy to take out but fighting wave after wave of them is tiring. Meet me by the exit and we’ll make our way back to Mordin’s clinic.” He ordered before shutting down the comms. John made his way back and met them where expected. Not even speaking he just waved a hand for them to follow. The walk back to Mordin’s clinic was quiet. They met the couple who were heading to the clinic and escorted them, the rest of the way. He noted they passed the humans who had been looting an apartment and was pleased to see them entering a hover car empty handed. They arrived just after Mordin’s assistant, Daniel, did and followed him into the back after seeing that the couple John had cleared the path for earlier was settled in okay. John nodded at the Batarian they had met on the way in who was receiving treatment. The Batarian nodded back just as they headed down the hall to the room where Mordin was working at a console.

 

            “Environmental systems engaged.” The Salarian spoke, not even turning to look at them as he did so. “Airborn viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating.” Mordin pushed away from the console and turned to nod gratefully at John as he walked by to another machine. “Well done, Shepard. Thank you.”

 

            “And thank you from me, as well. Those Batarians would have killed me.” Daniel added and sighed, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “For a second there I thought you were going to shoot them even after they let me go.”

 

            “I gave my word I would let them go if they didn’t hurt you and I keep my word, if I can,” John replied and Mordin made a disagreeing hum.

 

            “Merciful of you. Risky.” Mordin said, turning back to face John. “Would have killed them myself.”

 

            “Professor, how can you say that?” Daniel retorted moving to look his mentor in the eye. “You’re a doctor. You believe in helping people.”

 

            “Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients. Sometimes execute dangerous people. Either way helps.” Mordin stated and John blinked at that. Well he wasn’t really wrong but John had never expected a doctor to say that.

 

            “I guess Salarians don’t have the Hippocratic Oath.” John said quietly under his breath.

 

            “Go check on the patients. Lots of work to do. Think about what I said.” Mordin told Daniel who scowled but moved to comply. When Daniel had left the room Mordin sighed but smiled.

 

            “Good kid. Bit naïve. He’ll learn. Letting him take over the clinic. Should be able to handle it now that Vorcha are gone.” Mordin stated and John smiled.

 

            “So, you’re ready to join the mission then Mordin?” John asked and Mordin nodded.

 

            “Yes. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus. Many surprises. Just need to finish up here at the clinic. Won’t take long. Meet you at your ship. Looking forward to it.”

            “You two head back to the Normandy, I’ll help Mordin pack up and stop by Afterlife to make sure Aria has the cypher to encryption we put on the air filtration system for the district.” John ordered Miranda and Jacob. Miranda frowned, obviously not pleased but Jacob nodded.

 

            “See you later Commander,” Jacob replied, heading for the entrance. Miranda gave them a cold look, appearing to debate arguing against it before huffing and heading out of the room. John sighed in relief and turned around to find Mordin watching him in amusement.

 

            “No offense is meant to be given Shepard but you are horrible at hiding ulterior motives. Have seen you wishing to be alone with me and eying the medical equipment I have here. You wish for a medical examination by someone not associated with Cerberus, correct?” Mordin asked, already turning away to gather some equipment. He pointed at one of the examination tables. “Sit there will begin shortly. Remove armor impedes examinations.”

 

            “You got it right in one doc,” John replied, removing his armor as he went, setting it down by the table. “I also need access to a terminal not monitored by anyone. I need to send a message to Jane and the Alliance.” Just as he sat down Mordin hurried in front of him and stuck a thermometer in his mouth seconds before thrusting a portable terminal pad into his hands.

 

            “Anticipated such a request. Write your messages as I begin examination.” Mordin replied holding up some sort of medical device John had never seen before. John rolled his eyes and began to access the extranet. He needed to see if his old account-

 

            THUNK!

 

            “OW! Hey, watch it doc! You hit a rib!”

 

            “Pardon need to perform a biopsy of the bones in each major area of body and each organ. No worries, will not take a biopsy of heart or brain. That would be fatal in humans. Hmmm, perhaps will avoid taking samples of spine as well. Human spines have no redundancies. Such a poor evolutionary design. Will commence several scans of body as well. Have several different scanners, must choose most invasive yet non-fatal. Gamma rays are fatal to humans, should use asari appropriate equipment.”

 

            “Oh, this is going to be such a pain in my ass.”

 

            “Excellent idea Shepard! Stool sample will also help confirm body functioning as should. Please bend over as I get extraction machine. Lube too, humans very fragile and do not have a cloaca.”

 

            “This is the worst decision I’ve ever made. Of all time.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was preparing to sign up with the mercenary recruiters when her omni-tool pinged. She was about to ignore it but considered how she had lost Garrus, she needed to rebuild her bridges with friends. Jane looked at her omni-tool and her head reeled for a moment.

 

            One unread message from John Shepard titled _Olly Olly Oxen Free_. The room swam as she stared at the message. John was dead, he had to be dead, it was over two years, he was dead. Her brain screamed at her that her brother was dead, but her heart, oh her heart wanted it to be real. She stared at the time. It had just been sent, it had only just been sent. She moved smoothly to a corner of Afterlife. She flagged down a waitress and ordered a shot of something hard. It came and she paid the girl before swigging it down. It burned and made her eyes water.

 

            Jane opened the message and her heart nearly stopped. John was alive. John was alive. The room froze for a moment. Reality shifted and then came back hard, like a krogan charge to the gut. Cerberus had him. Cerberus had John. If it was Cerberus, was it John? Jane's mind raced as she stared at the message. John was alive. Cerberus had John and had saved him. He was on Omega for a little longer, but they would no doubt be moving him and he didn't know if he could reach her.

 

            It had to be a trap. Jane had been seen when she protected the Dramye from the Cerberus infection. Cerberus had tried to kidnap her, everyone knew how much Jane loved her brother. The damned Spectre reporters always tried to get an interview with Jane, stating their viewers wanted to know Jane's feelings about her brother's death anniversary. It wasn't John, but Cerberus wanted Jane's attention. Fifty-fifty chance was that Cerberus knew Jane was on Omega and this was a trap. Still, they hadn't hacked John's account, Jane had hired a special security firm and had put an alert on any hacking of John's accounts. Two young salarians got in quite a bit of trouble for attempting it. The Salarian anti-hacking firm hired quarians to beef up their system and Jane was happy to pay the fee to protect her accounts with them. No, but then again, an infinite amount of monkeys banging on an infinite amount of typewriters might one day compose the works of Shakespeare. Cerberus could have figured out John's password. Jane had changed all of hers after John had died...but still.

 

            Jane stared at the message for a moment more. John or not, Cerberus wanted her attention and they chose the worst way to get it. Jane typed a reply and snapped. Blasto was alert. Hopefully whoever was left on Archangel's team could wait a little longer. Jane would be there shortly. Best case scenario, with some Cerberus flunky who thought he was fooling her, worst case, with Jane warmed up from killing said Cerberus flunky.    

 

~*TF*~

 

            After Mordin’s… _thorough_ …examination he delivered the news John had been hoping to hear. Cerberus may have replaced some organs with artificial implants such as his stomach, parts of his kidneys and other areas but his brain was still organic. There were no implants in his brain or anywhere else in his body that would affect his mind, memory or even control of his own body.

 

            John Shepard was still John Shepard.

 

            He felt such relief at that but even more so that Miranda had not lied to him during the shuttle trip from the station to where the Normandy SR-2 had been built. He found himself considering opening up the Cerberus operative a bit more. If he could get her to come around to his way of thinking and doing things his way, it would be a major coup. Mordin’s report in his hands also spelled out exactly what had been done to him as well.

 

He did have artificial nerves throughout most of his body and even implants that refused his spine but most of himself was intact. The results of skin grafts, artificially replaced organs or cloned implants and there were mechanical implants to help regulate some of his bodily functions and his new nerves. The bone and skin weaves Mordin assured him were being applied to people who had the credits to do so or soldiers it would most benefit from. John promised himself as soon as he could he’d go through his old exercise routine to find out what his new limits were. The only downsides Mordin informed him were his implants took greater amounts of enzymes from his body and he’d have to maintain an intake of roughly four thousand calories a day, just like a biotic. He was also approximately thirty kilos heavier as some of the implants were denser than the organic systems they had replaced. So, while he looked the same it explained why he felt bulkier and heavier. He’d have to be careful if he had to walk over something questionable until he could properly assess his current weight.

 

            Still the highlight was shortly after introducing Mordin to the ship, crew and his new lab John had received the message he’d been hoping for.

 

            ‘ _I’m on Omega already. Firefly Bar in the lower quarter by the eezo mine entrance twenty-eight. 2100 hrs. Tonight.’_

Jane.

 

Jane was already here.

 

Jane. Was. Already. _Here._

 

            John checked his omni-tool. It was already quarter till nine. He barely had time to grab Mordin and as he couldn’t figure out a way to ditch Miranda and Jacob when EDI had reported to Miranda that he was getting ready to disembark. He swiftly headed out of the airlock and ignored Miranda pestering him with questions. He was going home, he was coming out the cold, his sister was here! The walk to the bar was quiet and swift but John couldn’t help but day dream a bit. How had Jane coped? What were she and the others doing? John chuckled to himself as they took the lift down to the lower quarter earning an annoyed and calculating looking from Miranda that he ignored. He’d just thought of Kaidan. With the doe eyes Kaidan and Jane had been making at each other John just knew Jane would have reached out to the other Alliance soldier. Had they gotten married? Was John, Uncle John now? God, he hoped so. He’d always wanted more family and Jane needed that in her life. His mind awhirl in possibilities, he barely noticed when they reached the door to the bar when he felt it. The feeling that he was being watched by someone. Eyes, a presence, something familiar yet dangerous.

 

            _Jane._

 

            From the alley beside the bar a flash of white, blue, and yellow flew at Jacob, he was knocked prone as the flash rushed around. Miranda drew her gun only for biotic blue to throw both her and Jacob's guns into the darkness. A form in black armor kicked Jacob across the face before grabbing the wrist of Miranda's gun hand. A foot behind Miranda's leg gave the figure the chance to spin Miranda by her wrist so her back was to the figure's chest.

 

            The white, blue, and yellow streak was back, a varren, with its mouth sealed around Jacob's throat. Jacob had one hand on top of the varren's head and the other on the bottom of its jaw. There was no way it was going to let go, but it wasn't pressing down more than to let him feel its teeth. Its yellow eyes were on Mordin and John. The figure was standing with Miranda as a human shield. One arm around Miranda's side, pinning that arm down, with a large sharp blade pressed against Miranda's carotid artery. Broken skin allowed blood to well, the blade was too close, Miranda couldn't get a barrier up between her and the blade just as Jacob couldn't get a barrier between his throat and the varren's teeth. The figure's other arm was between Miranda's arm and side, a pistol aimed between John and Mordin.

 

            John watched it all with amusement and listened to Mordin verbally appraise his sister as she stood statue still. John felt joy and relief flood through him when Jane finally turned to face him. John couldn’t help the happy smile that spread across his face as he finally got a clear look at her. She was wearing some kind of armor that he didn’t recognize. It was plain and heavier than she usually wore. There was no sign of the Alliance insignia, Spectre insignia, or even the N7 insignia. Her hair was a bit shorter, her scar from Akuze was gone and she was paler than he remembered but it was her. The one person he loved and trusted above anyone else, even more than Liara the woman he loved.

 

            “It’s good to see you sis.”

 

~*TF*~

 

End of chapter 11

 

~*TF*~

 

Toby’s AN: I always thought the adrenalin ability in 2 & 3 was something that Shepard only got cause of the rebuild. I hope my little idea works for you guys. *grins*

 

Belle’s AN: We are now entering ME2 and here is where the world begins to shift. The major points will be the same, but now we get to alter the world even more. Be warned, we will be throwing your preconceived ideas out of the window, so don't worry if you see things you think are contradictions or defiances, we have a plan and you will see all of our machinations as we continue.

 

Toby’s AN 2: Argh! I hate watching the videos online and retyping dialogue word for *beep*ing word! And this script I found for ME2 sucks total *beep*! Anyone know where we can find a script, or dialogue of ME2 and ME3? Retyping these scenes takes up most of the time between chapters! If we had something we could copy and paste it’d save **so much time!** Anyways since the last two chapters were, well not overly serious but kind of somber and serious it didn’t feel right to put omakes on them, especially with how big ten was. So, we are proud to present, omakes for nine, ten and eleven! Enjoy!

 

Belle's AN 2: We? You're the one who wants the script, I have videos that I don't mind using and you know that.

 

OMAKE 9-1:

 

"What about your wife, Conrad? She trusts you too. Aren't you letting her down?" Jane asked. She had people she trusted, people she knew had her back. John, Ash, Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Liara, Joker, Chakwas...Conrad looked shocked.

 

"What? I don't understand," Conrad said and Jane gave him a good look.

 

"You know what keeps me going out here?" Jane asked and Conrad gave her a confused shake of his head. "Knowing that people back home are keeping humanity strong." He stared at her.

 

"You...you're right," he said and Jane nodded. "I just so caught up in all of it. I wanted to help. I'll go home. Thanks for setting me straight." He turned and headed off. Jane watched him go.

 

"He so totally has a shrine to you," John commented and Jane gave him a look of horror.

 

“What?”

 

            “Yeah like one of those shrines where he has pictures of you he kisses and pieces of your hair and he cut me out of all of the pictures of us.”

 

            “…I should call C-Sec. And he probably has one about you too.”

 

            “Yeah but unlike you I’d just shoot him.”

 

            “And I wouldn’t?”

 

            “Not if he sneaks up on you. He probably wants you to have his babies.”

 

            “Hurk!”

 

            “Hey when did you eat corn?”

 

            “Blargh!”

 

            “Wow throwing up that much can’t be healthy.”

 

OMAKE 9-2:

 

            As Liara led John to the medical office John paused. The elevator doors had opened and he saw Kaidan stepping out. When Kaidan saw John he froze.

 

            “And where do you think you’re going lieutenant?” John said in an icy tone. Kaidan swallowed.

 

            “Um to bed sir?”

 

            “Which _bed_ Alenko?” John hissed and Kaidan let out a meep.

 

            “M-my cryo pod sir. Alone!”

 

            “Damn straight.”

 

OMAKE 9-3:

 

            "Damn it, John, learn to knock!" Jane hissed as she covered herself with the sheet.

           

            "God damn it, Jane! We share that bed!" John cried.

 

            "We were going to change the sheets," Kaidan said from further down and under the sheets.

           

            "THAT'S NOT THE PROBLEM!"

 

OMAKE 9-4:

 

            “Liara let go of Vigil’s console!” John cried, clutching one of the Asari’s legs by the ankle and pulling. Jane had the other leg and the Asari was horizontal in the air clutching Vigil’s terminal.

 

            “No, I don’t wanna! You can’t make me!”

 

OMAKE 9-5:

 

            “SHOOT!”

 

            BANG!

 

            “I MEANT THE SAREN THING NOT ME!”

 

            “YOU DIDN’T SPECIFY WHO TO SHOOT!”

 

            “ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!”

 

OMAKE 10-1:

 

            As John was blown away from the Normandy he faced the Collector vessel and slowly raised his hand, middle finger extended.

 

            “Fuck you very much!”

 

OMAKE 10-2:

 

            "This is a baby Varren," she stated as she held the struggling beast. It snapped at her and Jane caught its mouth with one hand and grasped it by the scruff of the neck by the other. It froze and its golden eyes rolled up to look at Jane.

 

            In the afterlife where John waits for his body to be restored: “Oh fuck you Wrex! You know I hate Varren! They chew on everything and keep trying to bite me! I swear to God if that thing lifts its leg on me one time I’m going to turn it into food for Fish-Dog Food Shack!”

 

OMAKE 10-3:

 

            “Knave? Hick-John? That’s it when you die I’m selling the rights to have you made into a VR sex sim!”

 

OMAKE 10-4:

 

            "You'll get her home safe and sound, right?" Kaidan asked as he tucked Jane into Garrus' vehicle. Garrus grinned.

 

            "Oh, I'll take care of her...I'll take care of her aaaaaall night," he purred before he took off leaving Kaidan staring in horror.

 

 

OMAKE 11-1:

 

            _As John stands behind Joker on the Normandy SR-2 for the first time:_

“Joker do me a favor and open a general comm signal.”

 

            “To who Shepard?”

 

            “Everyone. Everywhere.”

 

            “Uh...okay. Channel open, sir.” Joker said. John smirked and cleared his throat before doing his best impression into the comm…

 

            “I’M BACK BITCHES!”

 

Belle: No Toby, you do not get to quote TFS Vegeta!

 

Toby: Why not it’d be a pretty good twist! John comes back…Renegade for Life! *strikes a pose with explosions behind him and sunglasses he got from somewhere*

 

Belle: *groans in exasperation*

 

OMAKE 11-2:

 

            “ _Grenades, Shepard_?” John muttered to himself in a passable imitation of Miranda’s voice, “ _What do you need grenades for? We have a varied selection of heavy weapons here_. Well I can’t roll heavy weapons under an approaching death machine, can I?” He glanced again to his left and saw the Cerberus agents were gone. “They better have done what I said.” More stomps followed John’s mutterings and he dared peak around what was left of his crates…to peer straight into the YMIR machine’s legs.

 

“Fuck.” He muttered, trying to bring his gun to bare as the machine peered down at him and extended the arm with the rocket launcher at his face, the arm humming as it charged just moments before two large crates smashed into it, both glowing biotic blue.

 

“We’ve got you covered Shepard!” Miranda called out from the other end of the court yard, both biotics glowing as they each biotically lifted some more crates to throw. Following its programming, the YMIR mech turned to face the biggest threat and began opening fire.

 

            “BOY IT SURE WOULD BE NICE IF WE HAD SOME GRENADES, DON’T YA THINK?!” John shouted at Miranda.

 

Belle: Really Toby, Firefly quotes now?

 

Toby: I apologize for nothing! *more explosions and cool pose*

 

OMAKE 11-3:

 

“You crazy bosh'tet!” Tali barked, hugging the Spectre tightly. Then she looked up at him, smacking a fist and her forearm against his chest. “What were you thinking?”

 

            “Probably what you were, that I wouldn’t let my friend die,” John pointed out. Tali muttered something before yanking off her face mask and planting a kiss on his face.

 

            “I missed you so much John and you almost got killed! I’m not waiting anymore!”

 

            “Tali what are you-whoa baby!”

 

            “Take me right here and now Shepard!”

 

Belle: Oh come on! Why do you write this filth!

 

Toby: Cause I can. Besides it’s not like there isn’t millions of gigs of Tali porn already out in the internetz.

 

Belle: You’re disgusting.

 

Toby: Like you haven’t read any Kaidan or Garrus smut?

 

Belle: …

 

Toby: That’s what I thought.

 

OMAKE 11-4:

 

            "I might be here," Aria said just as the next dancer got on the stage. John's eyes moved over the dancer and then proceeded to bug out.

 

            "JANE?" he cried as his sister spun around a pole upside down and topless.

 

            "She needed the credits," Aria explained and John passed out from shock.

 

OMAKE 11-5:

 

            _After the Shepards reunite…_

 

            “Oh John I’m so happy you’re alive!”

 

            “Jane I’ve missed you so!”

 

            “Quick John I need to tell you that I want to have your bab-dfregqebtrq3qb5bn67a^%$lkwdef

 

Toby: *has currently been knocked face first into his keyboard*

 

Belle: *standing behind him holding the bat she used on his skull* No just no. I know you don’t mean it but that’s not funny it’s just disgusting.

 

Toby: You could have just told me that.

 

Belle: Now where’s the fun in that?

 

~*TF*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby Note: 
> 
> Also, here’s my playlist cause Belle is not the only one who uses music to write. *sticks his tongue out at her* Mine changes depending on my mood so this is as it is shortly before we published 11: 
> 
> Back in the Saddle by Aerosmith (this one is perfect to play during John’s fight scenes, especially the one with the Krogan)
> 
> Get Up by All Good Things
> 
> Blow Me Away (feat. Valora) by Breaking Benjamin
> 
> Soldiers by Otherwise
> 
> We Are by Hollywood Undead
> 
> Feel Invincible by Skillet
> 
> X Gon' Give It To Ya by DMX 
> 
> Till I Collapse by Eminem
> 
> Monster by Skillet
> 
> Human by Rag'n'Bone Man


	13. Just Somebody that I Used to Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and Jane team up to save Archangel after a less than pleasant introduction. Jane brings John to meet with the Council and the Admiralty Board to decide his fate as an Alliance Officer and a Council Spectre.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Belle's Note: As of writing this chapter Toby and I came across an interesting situation. The Mass Effect timeline is a...little wonky. If you look at the time between the end of ME and the start of ME2, the length of time Shepard is dead, the time difference between ME2 and ME3, and then the timeline for ME3 you realize that there might have been a little problem with timing. In short, hardcore fans, our timeline is not going to match 100% with the cannon timeline, but we are doing our best. 
> 
> Toby’s Note: We’ve already made the corrections to the dates so we’re hoping you haven’t noticed. *brushes away the previous dates with a broom and lifts the rug to sweep them under it* Nothing to see here folks move along! Pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain! That is not a GoT/ME crossover she’s working on!

Chapter 12: Just Somebody that I Used to Know

 

Earth Date: January 14th, 2186 CE

Location: Firefly Bar, Omega

 

            "It's good to see you sis," John said as he took a step closer and Jane's gun moved to point at him. He froze, the cold eyes greeting him were not what he had anticipated when he found his twin. Jane's kill face was in place and John knew she was in the mental space where she could kill without hesitation, but for the first time, that face was aimed at him.

 

            "John Shepard died two years, one month, and twenty-four days ago in service to the Alliance," Jane said. John froze for a moment, two years, one month, and twenty-four days. Jane had been living in a world where he had been dead for two years, one month, and twenty-four days. Shit.

 

            "Cerberus rebuilt me," John said and Mordin nodded.

 

            "Can confirm DNA test if you like," Mordin offered and Jane paused but she didn't look directly at the Salarian.

 

            "Who are you?" Jane asked.

           

            "Apologies. Introductions are necessary. Dr. Mordin Solus, ran a clinic here on Omega," Mordin stated and the corner of Jane's lip twitched, she was amused.

 

            "I know who you are, Dr. Solus," Jane said. "You forget I worked with Chirum."

 

            "Ah yes, fine Spectre, bit of a talker," Mordin nodded. "Regardless. Can perform DNA test if you like."

 

            "I apologize Dr. Solus, I have a bad history with Cerberus and if you are working with them, I cannot fully trust you either," Jane said.

 

            "I can explain," Miranda began and froze as the blade bit more into her tender throat.

           

            "I don't recall talking to you," Jane said, her eyes still on John.

 

            "I saved him," Miranda spat.

 

            "Good for you, but you'll understand if I don't actively trust you. I've been a bit of a thorn in your side, haven't I?" Jane said and Miranda huffed. "Give me a piece of evidence that Cerberus would have trouble providing." Her cold eyes were on John. He stared at her for a moment.  

 

            "My message," he said and Jane sneered.

 

            "No good, people have heard us prior and the Normandy team knows about that communication method," Jane said and John thought back. He needed something only the two of them would know. What piece of history would be impossible to find?

 

            "The last thing he talked to us about was that he was going to need us helping him clear the back forty of creeper vines after school, it was giving the hornchins gas. The last thing she talked about to us was that she would make us peanut butter and chocolate spread sandwiches when all of us were done and she would need to go to the store to pick up more chocolate spread," John said and Jane froze. There was no movement for moment. "While I drove us to school you told me that you had eaten the last of it while studying for the biology test." Moisture filled her eyes and a single tear rolled down her left cheek.

 

            Jane felt like she had been socked in the gut. She had never told anyone the last things they has spoken to their parents about. It was a stupid conversation about coming home right after school, doing chores, and being rewarded for it. The last words exchanged between the Shepard parents and the Shepard children had been 'love you' and as they left Jane had confessed to John about sneaking the chocolate spread to her room to eat directly from the jar while studying biology. The biotic metabolism had not been solely to blame for that. John had laughed as they had ridden to school on a morning that had begun so mundane.

 

            John was more open, he might have told someone that story, and he might have recorded it in a journal or log. It was John, it was John. The Cerberus agent in her arms moved and Jane came back to herself. She kept her gun on John, she couldn't trust him. Cerberus was devious and evil, she couldn't be certain. She couldn't risk Cerberus. She had seen their plans for other races. Seen the evidence of their xenophobia. This might look like John, this might sound like John, oh God she wanted it to be John, but it couldn't be, could it? No, this might be John, but until she was one hundred percent certain, she could not do it. Cerberus was not above using love to harm and Jane had been a vocal opponent. She had made their lives difficult...but...she never told anyone, John...might...but...Jane wanted to believe but for the safety of others, she couldn't.

 

            "Good story. Point to you. Why are you working with Cerberus?" Jane said and John stared at the gun still on him. She was clearly torn, would that be enough for her to believe it was him after mourning his death for two years?

 

            "Do you know about the human colonies going missing?" he asked and Jane blinked.

 

            "I had heard that Cerberus was investigating the disappearances too," Jane stated. She quickly released Miranda and with a firm kick in the Cerberus agent's shapely behind, sent her staggering between John and Mordin. Jane's gun was still on John. "Blasto, release!" The Varren quickly released and came to heel at his mistress's side. John stared at the Varren with disgust. "So...who does Cerberus think is behind the disappearances?"

           

            "Why should we deal with you?" Miranda shot back and Jane kept the gun on John.

 

            "Because I want to deal with her," John stated and Jane noticed that Miranda did not look too happy. "The Collectors are taking the colonies." Jane was impressed. John saw the lack of reaction in Jane. "You already knew that."

 

            "Cerberus is private sector. I'm a Spectre. You really think the only human Spectre wasn't all over disappearing colonies?" Jane said and John nodded with a slight smirk.

 

            "We know how they are doing it," John said and Jane blinked.

 

            "How?" Jane asked.

 

            "A Quarian on Freedom's Progress was able to avoid detection and preserved video footage, even captured a couple specimens with mechs," John said and Jane's lip twitched. "No way!"

 

            "What is it?" Jacob asked as he slowly moved to join the group.

 

            "Jane knew about the Quarian on Freedom's Progress. How....Tali," John hissed. Jane shrugged.

 

            "Unlike the core of Cerberus, the majority of humans are open and welcoming to aliens...even to the point where they would shun their military aiding them, but a talented alien kid on pilgrimage is more than welcome," Jane said. "Rumor has it that Quarian kids on pilgrimage make fine workers in the tech industry. They come, work hard, learn all that they can, and head out after a relatively short time period. Some will even work for room, board, and the opportunity to take broken hardware off your hands. Imagine how many colonies would love to have a Quarian on pilgrimage around for a few months?"

 

            "He was a child!" John snapped and Jane gave him a cold look.

 

            "Freedom's Progress is gone. That Quarian child is alive. Can you say the same for the human colonists?" she put up her gun. "Let's say I'm curious about you now. Why are you here on Omega?"

           

            "Why are you?" Miranda asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "Didn't you hear? I'm on vacation," Jane said and John blinked. Jane was lying.

 

            "We are recruiting a team to help us take down the Collectors," John said and Jane looked at Mordin.

 

            "Cerberus may put humanity first...but they don't have a mind like yours Dr. Solus," Jane nodded. "Makes sense. All Omega exceptionals?"

 

            "No, just one more," John said. "A Turian vigilante, goes by the name of..."

 

            "Archangel," Jane said and the two stared at each other. Neither one giving up their thoughts. "You're in luck. Archangel has some questions to answer for me."

 

            "Why do you need to question him?" Jacob asked and Jane blinked before her eyes flickered to Jacob in a flirtatious manner John had never seen before.

 

            "Once you go Turian, no human will do again," Jane stated and John made a face. What had happened while he was gone? Jane didn't flirt. It was a ruse, had to be, but what was important about Archangel? "If you're going after Archangel you know about his situation."

 

            "What do you mean?" John asked and Jane sighed.

 

            "He pissed off the three largest merc groups on Omega. They've got him trapped in his hide out. They're planning on killing him and what's left of his team. If you want Archangel too, we need to get there and pull his ass out of the fire," Jane said.

 

~*TF*~  

 

            “This is not going the way I’d hoped,” John said in aside to Mordin as they followed his sister into Afterlife. The Salarian shot John an amused look as the bouncer waved the group inside.

 

            “Still having difficulty that so much time has passed, correct Shepard?” Mordin inquired and John nodded. He noted that Jane seemed friendly with some of the staff here, even greeting a waitress with a warm smile as they passed. How many missions had she taken to Omega while he’d been gone?

 

            “I know it’s been two years. Everyone has been telling me that since I woke up.” John explained as they headed to a private room entrance. “To me it’s only been three weeks at most. I was floating in space one moment and the next I was waking up in a hospital.” He noticed Jane twitched and he realized she had heard him. He hoped it helped Jane realize it was still him.

 

            “Time needed for adjustment.” Mordin noted as they entered the recruiter’s room. “Patience needed.” John grunted in acknowledgement as he focused on Jane and the conversation she was having with the Batarian behind the desk.

 

“-aren't you sweet. You're in the wrong place, honey, strippers' quarters are that way.” The Batarian drawled. John frowned but watched Jane’s shift in posture and even though he couldn’t tell from behind her the way the Batarian’s smile slipped from his face and he began to sweat he knew Jane’s eyes were boring into the man. John had to smirk, imagining the look she was certainly giving the man. “Wow, not even a smile. So you're here to fight then.”

 

“That we are, if this is the place to go after Archangel.” Jane said in an icy tone.

 

“This is the place.” The Batarian said quickly. “Standard fee is 500 credits each. You get pain when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You'll need your own weapons and armor...looks like you've got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period. Any questions?”

 

“Why are the mercs working together to take down Archangel?” John spoke up as Jane waved her hand at the recruiter.

 

“Haven't been on Omega long, huh? He does everything he can to screw with us. Shipments go missing, operations are compromised...every month it gets worse. Tarak and the other bosses are tired of losing credits...and men.” The recruiter explained.

 

“Intriguing. Never heard of anyone ever drawing the ire of three different merc groups before.” Mordin noted with a hum. “What is the plan of attack? How will we be attacking?”

 

“The mercs will tell you when you get there.” The Batarian replied with a shrug, not caring in the least. “Last I heard, they were putting the freelancers into scouting groups; they attack in waves to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses.”

 

“So we're just fodder for his bullets?” Miranda asked in outrage and John blinked. He’d honestly forgotten she and Jacob were still there, so focused was he on Jane and her cold reaction to him.

 

“If you don't like it, don't sign up.” The recruiter snapped. “But if you do your job right, it's easy credits. Besides, what are the odds he can kill all of you? Besides he had a whole team, but we've already dealt with them. Now he's just one guy.” John saw Jane go still at that and saw her fists clench. Something had upset her but what?

 

“Where's the attack taking place and how do we get there?” John asked, trying to keep the situation from escalating. As the recruiter focused on him John heard Jane take in a deep breath.

 

“Archangel's base of operations. He's been hiding right under our noses. I can't tell you exactly where you're going, but we'll get you there. Just head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there.” The Batarian replied before focusing on the door. “Send in the next one!” John turned and stepped to the side so the others would leave before him, Jane’s face was cold and drawn together. She swiftly led the way and as John brought up the rear a kid who couldn’t have been no more than eighteen with a shitty soul patch stepped into the room.

 

“Hey, is this where I sign up?” he asked, excitement in his voice. John paused and looked the kid over. Jane ignored the kid and led the others away except for Miranda who lingered to watch John.

 

“You look a little young to be a freelancer kid,” John noted, skepticism plain in his voice. The kid turned back to him, rebellious teenage expression on his face.

 

“Hey, I’m old enough!” the teen protested. “I grew up on Omega and I know how to use a gun!”

 

“So does Archangel,” Miranda quipped from behind John as he frowned at the kid.

 

“I can handle myself. Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this pistol, and I wanna use it!” The teen snapped pulling a shitty pistol from the back of his pants. John sighed and snatched the gun from the kid. He racked it once and watched it spark in his hands and the firing pin go zooming across the stairway. John shoved the now broken gun into the kid’s hand.

 

“Don’t go playing at war kid. If you want to learn how to shoot, join the Alliance or something.” John snapped, spinning on his heel and heading up the stairs. He met up with Miranda who walked with him out of Afterlife to the sight of Jane waiting for them, Blasto panting happily at her side and Jacob and Mordin also waiting nearby but giving the Varren a wide berth.

 

            The group headed up to the transport car with a Batarian in Blue Sun colors leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.

 

“We're on the mission.” John said. The man finished off his cigarette and flicked it off the side as he straightened.

 

“I hope you're ready. Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers.” He growled before eyeing the group. “I can only take three of you at a time.”

 

“That’s fine,” John replied before turning to Miranda and Jacob. “You guys head back to the ship. It’s better if you we do this with a strike team anyways.”

 

            “I don’t think that’s a good idea, John,” Miranda replied giving Jane a look. Jane returned it with an icy stare of her own.

 

            “It’ll be fine, Mordin will patch us up if anything happens,” John said, acutely aware what Miranda was afraid of but not acknowledging it.

 

            “That includes the Varren,” the drive noted and Jane’s pet Varren growled at that before Jane set a hand on his head, patting it.

 

            “Blasto goes,” Jane replied and John sighed. Yes he’d heard correct earlier. She’d named her Varren, Blasto. Oi vey. “He’ll sit on my lap.”

 

            “He’s not a fucking poodle, Jane,” John said in exasperation. Jane shot him a look and John rolled his eyes.

 

            Looked like the mangy lizard was coming with them.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Despite the distant sounds of gunfire John appreciated the incident free walk from their landing zone to the staging area. He was intent on walking by the mercs as quietly as they could but of course Jane had other plans.

 

            Jane activated the camera on her Kuwashii visor as they entered the Eclipse planning room. Aria probably had all the intel on these people, but seeing them in action and keeping track might gain Jane some favor. Having the ruler of Omega on your side was always good.

 

            "Watch that Varren!" Jaroth sneered and Jane gave him a look as she snapped her fingers. Blasto came to heel and he blinked at her.

 

            "Blood Pack doesn't train their Vorcha, do you really think they know how to train a Varren?" Jane stated and Jaroth nodded. Jane noted that John had tucked a data pad into a pouch on his belt.

 

            "True," Jaroth muttered as they left the room. They opened a hallway with a massive mech.

 

            "Be a shame if that mech was reprogrammed without friend or foe settings," John muttered and Mordin chuckled as he quickly accessed the mech.

 

            "Where did you get the Varren?" John asked as Mordin worked on rewriting the machine. Jane stared at him. Should she talk about the others? Damn it. She didn't want Wrex in danger if they suspected how close she was...of course they already knew that. She _was_ Urdnot-Shepard.

 

            "He followed me home from a mission as pup," she said. It wasn't a lie, but it didn't give him much.

 

            "Followed you?" John asked and Blasto rubbed his head against her outer thigh.

 

            "How could I say no?" she deadpanned as she stroked the varren's head. John made a disgusted sound as they moved on to the Blood Pack's room. The room was filled with Vorcha and… It took all of Jane's self control not to go for her pistol. Garm, one of the worst of the Blood Pack, and a survivor from the Maws. One of the worst Krogan in space. He killed and he took pleasure in killing. Jane should kill him.

           

            "You look familiar," he purred while looking at Jane and she gave him a coy smirk as she controlled the urge to place a bullet in each of his eyes.

 

            "Krogan men always use that line. Can't get an Asari?" Jane stated and Garm chuckled.

 

            "I don't need to use lines to get that," Garm purred and Jane shook her head. Blasto was being approached by one of the Blood Pack Varren.

 

            "Better pull that one back," Jane warned. "My Varren doesn't do well with others."

 

            "An alpha is it?" Garm asked and Jane nodded. He glared and one of the Vorcha moved to grab the Varren. Blood instantly spilled to the floor as Blasto lunged and bit off the Vorcha’s hand. John ushered the group out and shot Jane a look.

 

            "You come to Omega often?" John asked and Jane gave him a smirk.

 

            "I know my way around the station," she said as they reached the Blue Suns' planning room. Tarak was clearly paranoid about whoever Archangel was. It seemed the vigilante had done a good job psychologically off-centering the Batarian. They left the room and reached the gunship shortly after.

 

            "Cathka?" Jane asked as they approached a group of human men. The lead man pointed over his shoulder and a Batarian stood up, looking them over.

 

            "Sergeant Cathka...ah...you must be the group Salkie mentioned. You met him when you were dropped off. He radioed to say you were coming. You're just in time. You three kinda stand out from most of the other freelancers. Anyway...the infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him. Got any questions? This may be your last chance," he said and Jane stared at him as he picked up a cigarette, putting down his welder.

 

            "Are you leading the assault?" John asked.

 

            "Ha! Tarak doesn't pay me to fight. I just plan the attacks and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of..." Cathka said before the radio interrupted him.  

           

            "Target is in sight. We're a go," a voice called.

           

            "Check. Bravo team...go, go, go!" Cathka ordered and the group of humans headed out. "Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him. But that means no more waiting for me. Got to get her back to a hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her again." Jane watched as Cathka passed the group and headed to the gunship. Jane moved silently behind him, catching his welding tool as she went.

 

            "You're working too hard," Jane said as she shoved the welder into his back. He screamed but the sounds of the assault drowned them out as Jane turned. John stared at her in shock. "What?"

 

            "You murdered him," John stated.

 

            "He sent countless freelancers to their deaths knowing full well they would die and not flinching. He will never send another person to die when he stayed safely behind," Jane said as she headed to the wall. She whistled and got into the vault position. Blasto leapt from her knee to her shoulder over the wall and Jane followed closely behind. Jane ran and Blasto stayed close to her side.

 

            Jane put up a shield, watching as one of the freelancer's heads went up in a plume of red. Two shots grazed her and she blinked. While freelancers were dropping like flies, she was fine. Archangel was almost going easy on her, like he knew her. Was he…it couldn't be...could it? Then again today was a day of impossible things. Jane whistled and Blasto barked before taking off. Jane watched as the Varren rushed to the infiltration team, hopefully the Varren wouldn't be hurt. She didn't hesitate and as she began to fire on the backs of the infiltration team, John, and Mordin did as well. The room was filled with dead bodies. Jane paused as she looked around. The dead mercs were everywhere but there were covered bodies as well. Two shapes looked Turian and Jane's heart ached with the thought that Garrus could be under one of those...but those shots. Blasto barked happily and was up the stairs. Jane smiled the first real smile in months. She ran up the steps.

 

            "Hey!" John cried but she was taking them two at a time. As she rounded the corner to see Blasto sitting next to the Turian in blue and black armor who momentarily spared a hand to thump the Varren a few friendly pats on the side before steadying his rifle again, Blasto’s stubby tail wagging back and forth in joy. Jane approached, fighting back tears, now wasn't the time but she knew. Oh God she knew who it was.

 

            "Archangel?" John said from behind her and Jane wanted to laugh as the Turian sniper put up one finger just before taking a shot. Then he got up and sauntered away from the window. He removed his helmet and familiar blue eyes looked over at Jane who felt joy just burst through her.

 

            "Shepard...and Shepard..." Garrus said and Jane walked over to him. He looked at her. Then she punched him in the shoulder. "Ow...was that necessary?"

 

            "You and I are going to have a long and unpleasant talk once we get you out of here," Jane said and he flared his mandibles as his eyes flickered to John. Jane gave him a look and he shrugged.

 

            "I was tired of watching you just vege..." he began only for Jane to punch his shoulder again. “Ow!" If this John was a Cerberus operative, then he would know about her coma after her fight on Tuchanka. If this John was John...well...he didn't need to know about her coma.

 

            "You ever move again and forget to send me your forwarding address, I will beat the blue off of your face and bend your damn knees the human way," Jane threatened and Garrus nodded before he looked at John.

 

            "I thought you were dead," he said to John as Blasto panted happily beside the Turian.

 

            "Garrus! What are you doing here?" John exclaimed in happiness, giving Jane a look as she whistled and Blasto came over. Jane began to inspect the Varren for injuries as John approached their friend and extended his arm. Garrus clasped John’s forearm and John did the same as they greeted each other. Jane rolled her eyes at the obvious overly macho display of friendship.

 

            “Just keeping my skills sharp. A little target practice.” Garrus exclaimed as they separated. John snickered.

 

“You alright?” John inquired.

 

“I’ve been better, but is sure is good to see some friendly faces. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own.” Garrus drawled and John saw Jane shoot Garrus a look at that.

 

“So what are you doing out here on Omega?” John wondered.

 

“A very good question.” Jane said, her tone a bit frosty. Garrus grinned sheepishly.

 

“I got fed up with all the bureaucratic crap on the Citadel. Figured I could do more good on my own. Plus, I had a really bad role model.” Garrus noted.

 

“Watch it.” Jane warned him.

 

“At least it's not hard to find criminals here.” Garrus retorted. “All I have to do is point my gun and shoot.”

 

“Impressive. How did you manage to unite the major mercenary gangs of Omega?” Mordin asked making Garrus chuckle.

 

            “It wasn't easy. I really had to work at it. I am amazed that they teamed up to fight me. They must really hate me.” Garrus said, glancing out the window.

 

“Since when did you start calling yourself Archangel?” John said in amusement making Garrus wince a bit.

 

“It’s' just a name the locals gave me. For all my good deeds. I don't mind it, but please...it's just "Garrus" to you.” The Turian noted, looking embarrassed.

 

“You nailed me good a couple of times, by the way.” John noted, rolling his shoulder, still feeling the sting from one of the rounds that had winged him.

 

“Concussive rounds only.” Garrus said, waving it away. “No harm done. Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious.”

 

“Uh huh.” Jane hummed.

 

“If I wanted to do more than take your shields down, I'd have done it.” Garrus said, amused. “Besides, you were taking your sweet time. I needed to get you moving. I mean your younger sister beat you over the bridge. Have some pride.”

 

“Well, we got here, but I don't think getting out will be as easy.” John said, rolling his eyes at Garrus’s statement.

 

“No, it won't. That bridge has saved my life...funneling all those witless idiots into scope.” Garrus noted and Jane sighed at that.

 

“It also works both ways.” Jane replied.

 

“Definitely. They'll slaughter us if we try to get out that way.” Garrus hummed, looking out the window over the bridge.

 

“Odds not in our favor,” Mordin stated baldly. “Alternatives would be appreciated.”

 

“It's not all that bad.” Garrus explained, “This place has held them off so far. And with the three of you and Blasto...I suggest we hold this location, wait for a crack in their defenses, and take our chances. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan.”

 

            "How did you let yourself get into this position?" Jane muttered. 

 

            "My feelings got in the way of my better judgment. It's a long story. I'll make you both a deal: you get me out of here alive, and I'll tell you the whole damn thing," Garrus said.

 

“So much for sneaking out the back,” John grunted, un-holstering his assault rifle. “Still if we made them come in here to us we can whittle them down.”

 

“You're right. Their numbers won't help them in here, anyway.” Garrus replied. “Let's see what they're up to. Hmmm...looks like they know their infiltration team failed. Take a look. Scouts. Eclipse, I think.” He said handing the rifle to Jane. John watched Jane look over the scouts on the bridge and he couldn’t help but jump as Jane pulled the trigger, sending one flying back.

 

            “One less now,” Jane stated handing the rifle back to Garrus who chuckled.

 

“Indeed. We better get ready. I'll stay up here. I can do a lot of damage from this vantage point. You...you can do what you do best. Just like old times, Shepards. Let's give these bastards everything we've got.”

 

“Mordin you and I will head down stairs. Keep them distracted for the snipers to work on them,” John said, leading the way. The Salarian didn’t even miss a beat and followed John to the stairs.

 

            Jane signaled to Blasto to stay by her side as she took out her sniper and began taking out the various mercs. Jane was on one side of the window and Garrus was on the other. They were keeping the field mostly clear. The two below made sure not one of the mercs made it to the building. The massive mech was sent out and Jane couldn't help but smirk as it came online.

 

            "Damn it. They're sending out the heavy mechs," Garrus growled.

 

            " _That problem should take care of itself_ ," John said over the comms. The group watched as the heavy turned and began slaughtering the mercs instead.

 

            _"Useful technique,"_ Mordin noted over the radio as he took a few shots. Eventually the last of Eclipse made their push. Jane placed a round in Jaroth's head just as he jumped over the barricade, sending the Salarian on to find his brother on the other side. Jane exchanged a grin with Garrus who sighed happily.

 

            "It's good to be working with the Shepards again. These Eclipse bastards didn’t even get to the front door,” Garrus said. "You even got Jaroth in the process." He gave Jane a look. "I've been hunting that little bastard for months."

 

            "Why were you after him?" Jane asked it was clearly personal for Garrus.

 

            "He's been shipping tainted eezo all over Citadel space. Half the goods I seized back at C-Sec came from his team here on Omega. I took out a big shipment a while back and killed his top lieutenant in the process. Not surprised he decided to work with the other mercs after that," Garrus said and Jane nodded.

 

            _"We've still got Blood Pack and Blue Suns left. Think we can make a break for it?"_ John asked over the comm.

 

            "Maybe. Let's see what they're up to," Garrus said as he looked out the window. "They've reinforced the other side...heavily. But they're not coming over the bridge yet. What are they waiting for?" There was a sound of an explosion and alarms began to sound.

 

            _“Oh that bodes well,”_ John called out as Garrus checked his omni-tool. _“Why can’t alarms ever be associated with them surrendering or announcing our victory?”_

 

            "Damn it. They've breached the lower level. Well, they had to use their brains eventually. You’d better get down there. I'll keep the bridge clear," Garrus said.

 

            "We can split up," Jane said. "You and I will snipe the bridge, Blasto can watch our backs. You two can take care of the lower level." John was silent for a moment. "I'm still a better sniper and Garrus is working on less sleep than the rest of us."

 

            _"Some only need a little,"_ Mordin retorted. John gave a heavy sigh but agreed to go.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Running. That was all John was doing as soon as they headed into the basement. He ran straight for the first door, slamming his fist on the console to close the shutter. To his surprise a ten second timer appeared over the console.

 

            “Why is there a timed delay on closing the shutter?” John demanded over the comms just before the door past the shutter snapped open and a squad of mercs came rushing at them. John opened fire, pinning them down.

 

            _“One of my men was worried of someone getting cut in half if they were under it so we installed motion sensors on the doors. If they don’t detect someone moving through the door for ten seconds they close.”_ Garrus replied over the comms.

 

            “Seriously?” John demanded, “That was a **concern**?!” The shuttered slammed down just then, cutting off the mercs and John spun around heading for another shutter.

 

            _“Safety first,”_ Jane drawled. John growled to himself as he charged into the garage. He just knew Jane had it easier than him.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Couldn't wait to get me alone, Shepard?" Garrus teased as they looked through their scopes at the bridge.

 

            "I am sorry Garrus," Jane said and he turned to stare at her.

 

            "You okay?" he asked and she shook her head.

 

            "I lost it when John died. I know I did," she said and he made a noise, clearly not sure where to go with the conversation. "Kaidan blamed himself for John's death and when I lost him...I let everything go. Including your friendship."

 

            "Shepard...Jane..." Garrus was in foreign territory. He had seen Jane fight the good fight. More than Ash, more than Kaidan, more than any of the other crew. He was on the Citadel, he watched all of her public meetings with the Council. He had seen her brother and the Reapers pushed aside.

 

            "No, Garrus, I was wrong and I was a bad friend. I'm sorry," Jane said, shooting a merc before giving him a look over her rifle. "I tracked you here six months ago. I finally got unofficial approval for a side project three weeks ago. I got the time off and I came here to bring you back."

 

            "What for?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Alliance special Black Ops," Jane said. "I tapped you and Tali for the non-human crew to investigate the missing human colonies. I wanted to come out and grab you six months ago...but you didn't answer any of my messages." He chuckled as he took a shot.

 

            "Sorry, I really need to check those," he said.

 

            "Don't lie to me," Jane said. "I was a shitty friend, but I want to make that up."

 

            "You buy the first round," Garrus said and Jane smiled into her scope.

 

            "Fine, but we aren't keeping score, you've had a longer time to count," Jane said and he huffed a laugh.

 

            "I suppose you're right," Garrus said. They were quiet, each taking a few shots at mercs. "What do you think about him?" Jane froze. Garrus took her kill and she shook her head.

 

            "I honestly don't know, Garrus...but, I'm going to stick with him for a bit," Jane said.

 

            "I think it’s him, look at that stupid human face, "Garrus said and Jane found a smile on her lips.

 

            "He's missing his scar," Jane said.

 

            "So are you," Garrus shot back. "You're going to stick with him?"

 

            "Cerberus built him to investigate the Collector attacks. I'm still getting approval for you and Tali to join the Okinawa crew, if we join him...no Alliance clearances needed," Jane said and Garrus chuckled.

           

            "You Spectres always play fast and loose," Garrus chided.

 

            "Not unlike vigilantes," Jane shot back as she stole his kill. They both paused as they heard Blasto begin barking and the unmistakable sound of a Krogan marching up the stairs. "Are you levo sensitive?"

 

            "No, are you dextro sensitive?" Garrus asked.

 

            "No...let me take on Garm," Jane said and Garrus blinked. "Between the two of us who can work better in these close quarters without a rifle?"

 

            "Ladies first," Garrus said, waving a hand at her and Jane pulled her blade as Garm stood in the doorway, giving her a look.

 

            "Your chances of surviving are slim, human," he roared as he charged. Jane dove out of the way and Garm went barreling past her. 

 

            “So are yours,” Jane spat, catching Garm with a throw and sending him skidding back to the door. Garm scrambled to his feet with a snarl, eying Jane like she was meal. Then several gun shots rang out behind him, sending Garm crashing back to the floor.

 

            “No I think yours are worse asshole,” John drawled, the tip of his shotgun smoking. Garm once again got to his feet and turned to face John with a snarl. It gave Jane her chance and she took a run at the Krogan before jumping onto his back. Jane held onto the top of Garm's hump, her feet digging into his hips as he thrashed back and forth. She kept missing as he shook his head. Apparently he knew she was trying to remove his plate. Stupid viral extranet video. Suddenly John was there, shoving his rifle into Garm's face. It was the opening Jane needed and her blade sunk home. She flipped the blade and the top of Garm's head flew off. He froze and John stared in shock, moving back and Jane jumped off of Garm as he dropped to his knees before falling over.

 

            "What the hell was that?" John demanded and Jane looked at the plate on the ground.

 

            "Fastest way to take down a Krogan," Jane explained. "The brain can't take the loss of the plate, brain over oxygenates, death is quick and supposedly relatively painless." John stared at her.

 

            "Tough bastard. But I've seen worse," Garrus said looking at John. "We took out Garm and his Blood Pack. This day just gets better and better."

 

            "I took out Garm, thank you," Jane stated and John rolled his eyes. Was Jane always this arrogant and cocksure?

 

            "He was one tough son of a bitch," Garrus nodded.

 

            "You've fought with him before?" John asked.

 

            "Yeah, we tangled once. Caught him alone. None of his gang to help him. I still couldn't take him out. I've never seen a Krogan regen that fast. He's a freak of nature," Garrus said.

 

            "He was," Jane corrected.

 

            "He just kept at it until his Vorcha showed up. It was close, but I had to let him go. Not this time," Garrus said as he looked at Garm's body.

 

            "Only the Blue Suns are left. I say we take our chances and fight our way out," John said.

 

            "I think you're right. Tarak's got the toughest group, but nothing we haven't faced before," Garrus said. "Besides, he won't' be expecting us to meet him head-on..." The gunship appeared in the window.

 

            "Heads up!" Mordin cried and the group scattered for cover.

 

            "Damn it! I thought I took that thing out already!" Garrus cried. The sound of bodies falling through the roof was not welcomed.

 

            "They're off loading troops! Watch your backs!" Jane cried as she pulled her pistol. A Blue Sun crashed through the window next to the John. He grabbed the merc just as he hit the floor and tossed him back out the window. John leaned out the window, looking up and saw several others repelling down.

 

            “Mordin lights these bastards up!” John ordered, pulling himself back inside. The Salarian hurried over and tossed incendiary charges at the mercs. John couldn’t help shivering a little at their blood curdling screams as they were engulfed in flames before falling to their deaths. He hurried to the overhang looking down at the first floor from the upstairs and opened fire on a few mercs who were trying to sneak in. The other window crashed in and another group of Blue Suns came crashing through.

 

            Jane stayed to the back, focusing on the shielded opponents. They quickly cleared the upstairs just before Blasto barked in warning. Jane rushed for the stairs and she set up a singularity at the top of them, holding the Suns back. John opened fire on the men trapped on the stairs and they were quickly taken out. Slowly the room grew quiet and Jane pulled back into the room. As she turned she saw the gunship in the window.

 

            _"Archangel!"_ Tarak's voice roared over the gunship's loudspeaker. Garrus was right in the line of sight. It felt like slow motion as Garrus turned to fire only for the minigun to hit him, spinning Garrus and knocking him to the ground. " _You think you can screw with the Blue Suns!"_ Jane aimed her rifle at the gunship. She could see a few of the few weak spots that hadn’t been patched up and she began to shoot. Garrus was crawling to cover.

 

“This ends now!" Jane screamed in rage just before Tarak fired a missile into the room. It slammed right into Garrus and sent the Turian flying across the room, his shield instantly broken and armor damaged.

 

            "GARRUS! NO!" she screamed as she ran. Jane barely noticed as John shot a grenade from his grenade launcher. Jane let the others go after the ship, instead she dropped to the ground at Garrus' side. He was prone in a puddle of deep blue with his hand still on his rifle. Jane pulled him over onto his back. The right side of his face was a blue ruin, the eye was still good but from his lips all the way across the side of his jaw and head, blood was draining. Jane pulled medi-gel and began slathering it over the wound, closing up the wound so at least she could stop the blood loss. Gunfire and explosions rang out while she focused on her first aid. She had not traveled across the goddamn galaxy chasing after this stubborn Turian only to lose him now.

 

            "Garrus," John cried and Garrus' eyes flickered open. He was gurgling and Jane grabbed his free hand as his other curled around his rifle.

 

            "I'm here, Garrus, we're getting you out of here and I'm buying you that damn drink," Jane said and his hand closed tightly over her wrist. Suddenly Mordin was by her side quickly injecting the Turian.

 

            “Hold here, Shepard,” The Salarian doctor barked in a tone she’d never heard before. He grabbed Jane’s free hand and pressed it hard against the jagged hole in Garrus’s armor right where his neck met the shoulder. Jane obeyed, never taking her eyes from Garrus’s.

 

            _“I’ll kill you all!”_ Tarak’s voice roared and Jane looked up to see the gun ship aiming at them through the window, black smoke billowing from its engines. Then Jane’s view was obstructed by John’s back.

 

            “The _fuck_ you will,” John snarled, emptying his grenade launcher into the gun ship. The ship’s front end and cockpit exploded, sending the rest to the ground to explode. John dropped the launcher at his feet and spun around.

 

            “Doc is he gonna make it?” John demanded, his eyes wide and panicked. Jane felt cold. John...not John, he looked just like John did in his panic. He looked genuinely scared. Was this John or was this a skilled actor. She didn't know and she didn't have time to think about that with Garrus on the ground.

 

            “Can keep him stable, need more medical resources. Normandy best. He can be moved.” Mordin said tersely, still working on Garrus and applying even more medi-gel to the areas Jane couldn’t cover.

 

            “Then that’s what he’s going to get.” John said, kneeling down and picking up the Turian with a strength Jane didn’t know John possessed.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "I didn't realize you were medically trained, C-" Dr. Chakwas said as Jane pulled on medical clothing shortly after John had stormed into the new Normandy’s medical bay, screaming of Karin’s name.

 

            "I'm just Jane for now and I'm not, I want to be here for him," Jane said and Dr. Chakwas looked surprised. Jane put a hand on the Cerberus emblem and Dr. Chakwas nodded. "I'm surprised to see you here."

 

            "Speak for yourself, dear, it was for Jeff for the most part. A shame how he was discharged," she said and Jane nodded as Mordin also suited up to help attend to Garrus.

 

            “Out John Shepard, you are not medically trained,” the Salarian barked.

 

            “But-”

 

            “Out!” Jane looked at the Salarian doctor, his lips quirked with conspiratorial light. Maybe she could trust Mordin as she watched John...maybe John, leave. 

 

            "I searched for him when I got command of the Okinawa, it was impossible to reach him," Jane said. Dr. Chakwas stared at Jane for a moment before turning back to Garrus and turning the medbay windows opaque.

 

            "You got the Okinawa not long after the memorial," she said as she began to strip the armor off Garrus and Jane nodded.

 

            "About two months," she said.

 

            "When we finish up with Garrus, you do need to speak to Jeff," Dr. Chakwas said and Jane nodded.

 

            "I owe him an apology, I should have tried harder to find him. Not that I don't like my pilot on the Okinawa, he's just...not Joker," Jane said and Dr. Chakwas nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR-2

 

            "Oh...my face," Garrus groaned as he came out from under the anesthesia.

           

            "It's mostly still there," Jane said from her seat next to his bed. Blasto barked happily.

 

            "Where are we?" Garrus asked.

 

            "On the Normandy SR-2," Jane said as she turned to look at him. "You ever catch another missile with your face again, and I'm going to feed you the pieces."

 

            "It's sweet how you care," Garrus groaned as he sat up.

 

            "Careful, you're still setting," Dr. Chakwas said as she approached.

 

            "You caught most of it with your face," Jane explained and Garrus blinked.

 

            "Damn...how's it look?" he asked Jane as Dr. Chakwas checked him over.

 

            "Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly," Jane teased and he chuckled.

 

            "Some women find facial scars attractive. Mind you, most of those women are Krogan," he sighed, sliding off the table after Dr. Chakwas gave him the okay to do so.

 

            "Let's go meet with our hosts," Jane said.

 

            "Scared to face your brother alone?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Not scared, but definitely wanting someone to watch my back," Jane said and Garrus nodded.

 

            "I'll keep your six if you do the same," he said.

 

            "Deal," Jane said as they headed up.

 

~*TF*~

 

“Commander. We've done what we could for Garrus, but he took a bad hit. The docs corrected with surgical procedure and some cybernetics. Best we can tell, he'll have full functionality, but...” Jacob began but the doors to the meeting room slide open revealing Garrus in his damaged armor, Jane by his side, smirking proudly at the man.

 

“John.” Garrus greeted, entering the room with Jane. Jacob laughed at the sight.

 

“Tough son of a bitch. Didn't think he'd be up yet.” Jacob said, impressed.

 

“Nobody would give me a mirror. How bad is it?” Garrus asked and John smiled, leaning against the table.

 

“Hell, Garrus, you were always ugly.” John replied and Garrus shot a look at Jane before shaking his head. “Slap some face-paint on there, and no one will even notice.” Garrus laughed and then let out a groan.

 

“Oh, don't make me laugh, damn it. My face is barely holding together as it is.” Garrus groaned. “Ah, probably for the best. Everyone was always ignoring you and hitting on me. Time for you to get a fair shot at it.”

 

            “Fair enough buddy,” John said with a laugh of his own. He glanced at Jacob. “Give us a moment will you?”

 

            “Uh, Shep-John, Miranda is worried that if you’re left alone with your sister right now she may take you into custody.” Jacob replied and Jane raised an eyebrow at him making the man wince. “She really didn’t like how your reunion went.”

 

            “You mean with how Jane held a knife to her throat.” John said before sighing. “I’m perfectly safe with Jane and Garrus will be here. Give us the room Jacob.”

 

            “Sir,” Jacob said, snapping off a quick salute and leaving the room. Garrus watched him go and turned back to John with worried eyes.

 

            "Frankly, I'm more worried about you. I've heard bad things about Cerberus these past few years. Hell, Jane's..." Garrus stopped when he saw the look Jane gave him.

 

“That's why I'm trying to get you guys back.” John explained. “I need people I can trust to watch my back. It’s why I contacted Jane and I recruited Mordin. I need people who will walk with me through this hell Cerberus has thrust me into.”

 

“You realize this plan has us walking into hell, too.” Garrus noted and gave a soft laugh. “Just like old times.”

 

“Hopefully, they will be.” John noted and Jane narrowed her eyes at him. “You okay to settle in Garrus?”

 

“I'm fit for duty whenever you need me, Shepard. I'll settle in and see what I can do at the forward batteries.” Garrus said, walking out of the room before sharing a looking with Jane. She turned to look at John as the doors closed behind Garrus. And the Shepard twins were alone together for the first time in years.

 

            "You wanted to find Archangel to find Garrus," John stated baldly, having figured out Jane already knew. Jane nodded in agreement to that statement.

           

            "Now that I've found Garrus, I suppose I need to return to duty at the Citadel since I have done what I planned to during my leave," she said. John took a deep breath and sighed.

 

            "I want you to bring me in," John blurted out and Jane looked at him. He expected her to protest, demand he even go back hand cuffed and the SR2 impounded. What he got was silence. "No argument?"

 

            "Let me be clear. My brother died two years, one month, and twenty-five days ago. Yesterday you showed up with Cerberus. You gave me one sob story from Mindoir, that is not all the proof I need," Jane said as she stared at him. "However, if you want to report as John Shepard to the Alliance and to the Council...I will help you, but I don't trust Cerberus. This ship, this crew, it is not what Cerberus is. This is a front and while some of the people on this ship seem good and seem honorable, Cerberus is not just what and who you see here."

 

            "I hear you have had some tough times over the last two years," John said and Jane stared at him. She wanted it to be John, but she couldn't let Cerberus blindside her. She needed to know but she couldn't trust.

 

            "You have heard about me from Cerberus, much like this ship, I imagine what you've been told has been carefully edited," Jane said. "I'm going to check up on Garrus."

 

            "He's not going to just disappear," John said.

 

            "He did once," Jane said. "I'll contact the Citadel and let them know we are coming."

 

            "Thanks, Jane. I need to drop off some supplies to engineering and give Chakwas a bottle she requested. We’ll set course shortly after engineering gets the new couplers installed." John informed her and Jane nodded as she turned and walked away.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 18th, 2186 CE

Location: Citadel, Alliance Embassy

 

            Mordin, Garrus, Jane, and John exited the transport from the ship to the entrance of the Wards. A pop up ad called out.

 

            "Commander Shepard. Enter the password and receive a free gift!" a woman in a hood called. "Got problems with collectors? Try Kasumi's credit services!" Jane paused and gave John a look.

 

            "That's for me," John said as he approached the ad.

 

            "Not very subtle," Jane muttered as she looked around. No one had noticed...yet.

 

            "Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard," the woman in the ad asked.

 

            "Silence is golden," John said.

 

            "Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I'm a fan," she said. "More so of your sister, but yours too." Jane pulled up her omni-tool and looked up the name in the Spectre files. Kasumi Goto, hacker and thief, noted by the Spectres, encountered some, mostly harmless, more nuisance than anything else.

 

            "Has Cerberus filled you in on the mission?" John asked.

 

            "Honestly, I'm shocked they didn't come to see me sooner. My fault for being hard to find, I guess," she said.

 

            "What's with the password and the sneaking around? Are you in trouble or something?" John asked.

 

            "She's a well known thief and hacker," Jane said from beside him and Kasumi grinned.

 

            "You know of me," she said and Jane nodded.

           

            "Impressive," Jane said and Kasumi smiled.

 

            "I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. Need to watch my step to keep it that way," she said. "I also needed to make sure all this was legit. And I have no doubts now...you're the real Commander Shepard."

 

            "What makes you so sure?" John asked and Jane wondered the same thing.

 

            "There's a certain...aura about you. Like you've seen things no one else has. Even without knowing what you looked like, I knew it was you," Kasumi said and Jane pondered how much of a fan she was.

 

            "What brought you to Cerberus?" John asked.

 

            "That's a bit of a story. Short version, they were looking for me, so I trailed them to find out why. Turns out they were looking for someone to join you on an important mission...and were offering a serious signing bonus," Kasumi explained. Jane wondered how much this bonus was worth. "I had a thing I needed help with, so I made them a deal. And here we are."

 

            "I assume this deal is something I should know about," John sighed.

 

            "Yeah, I guess it slipped their minds. I'm looking for my old partner's gray box. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I'm planning to get it back," Kasumi said and Jane blinked. She recognized the name. Donovan Hock was a weapons dealer and smuggler. Good enough to be known, small enough to be overlooked for more dangerous prey.

 

            "What's this heist you're planning?" Jane asked and Kasumi grinned.

 

            "You want in?" She asked before chuckling. "Not here, anyway, you'll get a briefing when the time comes. I need time to nail down the details, anyway. I plan to take the liberty of getting you some evening wear, though. You'll want to look presentable."

 

            "What do you know about Donovan Hock?" John asked.

 

            "Mr. Hock is a well-respected "businessman." Arms dealer, murderer, generally not a great guy. His mansion's famous for being hard to crack. But I have a way in, and I think you're going to love it.

 

            "I doubt Hock's the kind of guy who takes kindly to people sneaking into his house," John said.

 

            "I always expect trouble. That's why you're here," Kasumi replied.

 

            "I assume a grey box is some kind of hardware?" John stated.

 

            "It's a neural implant. It's illegal in most places. People use it to store memories and thoughts," Jane said.

 

            "Secret codes...illicit information," Kasumi added. "This one in particular belonged to my partner, Keiji Okuda. We worked together for a long time, before Hock killed him."

 

            "Tell me about Keiji," John asked.

 

            "He was the best hacker and entry man I've ever known. Unfortunately, he slipped up and made himself infamous. He stole something he shouldn't. He warned me it was bad something that could spark interstellar war if it got out. That information...got him killed," Kasumi said. Jane suspected Keiji was more than just a crime partner.

 

            "What could he have found that's so bad?" John asked.

 

            "He wouldn't say what it was, just that it was dangerous. He said if it got out, humanity would be in trouble. He encrypted it, wrapped it up in his own memories. To decode the information, you have to sift through all the time we spent together. Now those memories are all that's left of him," Kasumi said.

 

            "I can understand why you'd want to get it back," John said.

 

            "Getting it back will be easier with your help, Shepards," Kasumi said.

 

            "If that's what Cerberus promised you, we'll get it done," John said and Jane blinked as she realized she was being included by the both of them.

 

            "It'll be fun. And if we're lucky, you won't even have to draw your gun," she said as the ad deactivated. "We should probably wrap this up. You look pretty silly standing there talking to an advertisement. See you on the ship, Shepards." Jane shook her head and escorted John through.    

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Ambassador," Jane said as she entered the office. Udina looked like he smelled something foul.

 

            "Spectre Shepard," he said and Jane looked at John. "My God, it is him."

 

            "Good to see you too, Ambassador," John said.

 

            "You create more work alive or dead," Udina sneered before looking at Jane. "The Council has summoned you." Jane nodded and looked at Garrus and Mordin, nodding at John. She headed out. Jane caught a transit to the Council Chamber, this was going to be an interesting day.

 

“The council will see you shortly after. The Alliance Admiralty board wants to speak with you beforehand,” Udina drawled. “They’re waiting down the hall, to the left. I’ll escort you there but you’re going in alone.”

           

~*TF*~

 

            As soon as John reached the point in front of the Admirals he snapped off a crisp salute.

 

            “Commander John Shepard reporting in, sirs,” John said, holding the salute. He waited for it to be returned and the normal at ease to be given. That drill response in a heartbeat of a reply never came. John kept his stance but felt sweat gathering. The long pause turned into a minute and he felt worry sinking into his gut. All three admirals were watching him with cold looks. Finally, the only fleet admiral on the board, and in the middle seat, returned the salute.

 

            “At ease.” He said coldly looking down at his data pad. John slid into an at ease stance and waited. He finally got a good look at the board and confirmed his suspicions. He knew none of these admirals and they were not looking at him. The fleet admiral in the middle was studying his data pad intensely, his glasses perched on his nose while the other two were occupying themselves. The one of John’s left was a hologram and he would occasionally look down at something John obviously could see before glancing up at John with a scowl. After a few minutes, the fleet admiral finished reading his data pad and sat up, putting his glasses away. This seemed to be a signal to the other two and they focused on John.

 

            “We’ve read the report you’ve submitted along with the medical reports the Cerberus woman and the Salarian STG agent submitted to us. I would like to ask a few questions to clarify some points. Is this agreeable Commander?” the fleet admiral drawled. John’s stomach tightened into a knot. This was wrong, all wrong. The admirals had not introduced themselves and the purpose of the meeting had not been declared.

 

            “Sir, with all respect the purpose of this meeting has not been declared nor-” John began but was cut off by the fleet admiral.

 

            “This is a continuation of a formerly completed board of inquiry into the loss of the SSV Normandy. Those items were declared at the last meeting two years ago, which you would have known if you had bothered to attend. Do you understand, _Commander?_ ” The fleet admiral snapped.

           

            Oh.

 

            Shit.

 

            John swallowed and nodded. With that one sentence, he knew the stance of the admirals. Despite his report and the independent medical review reports they did not believe John had been incapacitated for almost two years. They’d also re-opened the board of inquiry on the first Normandy’s loss. He knew a board of inquiry was standard on the loss of any naval vessel but if they had re-opened it to deal with John then he fell under their authority not the general Alliance brass.

 

            “Explain where you were for the past two years, Commander.” The admiral on the right questioned.

 

            “As I said in the report sir, I was unconscious for most of that time.” John said, “I had a brief moment of consciousness before I woke again a little over a week ago. I then was introduced to the Illusive Man and asked to investigate the Collectors’ abductions of human colonies.”

 

            “Yet these medical reports indicate that you were conscious for that time period.” The admiral with the hologram replied. “I had these reports checked by our own medical experts. There is no possible way you would have lived if these injuries had all been inflicted and treated at once. In fact, some of these implants are a year old.”

 

            “As I said sir I was not conscious and I’m sure certain things were addressed gradually over time while I was being-”

 

            “Enough,” the fleet admiral cut in waving a hand at John. “I’ve heard enough of these lies. You were not on a black ops mission for us nor the Citadel Council. We checked with the Council and they stated as much. You let the whole galaxy mourn you Shepard while your sister lived up to her responsibilities to us and then helped cement relations with the Council. I’ve always felt council Spectres had too much latitude and you obviously forgot that while you had Spectre authority to do as you like you still had responsibilities to the Alliance.”

 

            So that was what it was all about. John was being used by an admiral to make a point to the any other human Spectres. They belonged to humanity first, _then_ the council in his eyes.

 

            “John Shepard, we will _not_ be restoring your commission.” The holographic admiral stated and John felt his breath rush out like he’d been punched in the gut. “Obviously you are not dead so we will pass onto the civilian authorities the necessary information to have your death certificate and status revoked. You are now noted as an OTH discharge. If it was within our power we’d also impound your ship but it’s registered under your name as a civilian vessel.”

 

            OTH.

 

            Other than Honorable.

 

            John felt like the world had opened up and swallowed him whole. He wanted to rage at them, he wanted to beg, to scream but he wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

 

            “I understand, Admirals.” John replied.

 

            “You’re dismissed Mr. Shepard.” The fleet admiral said coldly. “We have a meeting the rest of the admiralty board and Spectre Shepard. Get out.”

 

            John swallowed but still snapped off one last salute before turning on his heel and walking out of the room, determinedly holding his head high.

 

            He just hoped the Citadel Council wouldn’t turn their back on him too.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Welcome, Spectre Shepard," David said as Jane was shown into a private Council room, all four Councilors were there in person. Jane knew it was going to be a doozey as she stood at attention, nodding at each Councilor before resting at the ready.

 

            "It appears your brother has returned from the dead," Councilor Sparatus said and Jane nodded. "Humans apparently have a history of that."

 

            "Religious humor, ignore that comment," Councilor Valern sighed.

 

            "Spectre Shepard, we wish to know your thoughts on this issue," Councilor Tevos said and Jane sighed as she looked down.

 

            “I love my brother. He was the only family I had for a long time. He was home to me. When he died, I threw myself into doing my best to make up for the loss of him in this galaxy. I took mission after mission. Pushing myself beyond my limits. I have done things I never thought I could do. I have survived things I never thought I would. Now...my brother...appears to have returned from the dead...with the help of Cerberus," Jane said. Her eyes were narrowed in anger. "An organization I have repeatedly fought and rallied against publically somehow managed to bring my brother back from death. I want to believe that man is my brother...but knowing Cerberus is involved stops me from believing whole heartedly. I honestly cannot tell you either way, I want it to be my brother, but I am cautious." Jane looked up and the Council nodded at one another.

 

            "Jane, you have been vocal about your concern about the disappearing colonies only to the Alliance," David said and Jane nodded.

           

            "That issue falls under my duty as an Alliance Officer, it is not part of my capacity as a Spectre agent," Jane said and Councilor Tevos nodded.

 

            "We have decided to uphold John Shepard's Spectre status," Councilor Valern stated. Jane felt hope in that.

 

            "You have proven yourself to be an exemplar of the human race. You volunteer for missions most would shy from and somehow come through. From what we understand you even stopped a Batarian slave raid on your way to your....vacation," Councilor Sparatus said and Jane nodded. "Because of this we wish to officially order you to investigate the disappearance of human colonies." Jane blinked as she looked at the Council.

 

            "We will be assigning Spectre John Shepard to this issue as well, perhaps you would like to work with him," Councilor Tevos suggested and Jane nodded.

 

            "We will believe that your brother has returned and we want both of you on this issue," David said and Jane nodded. "Do you have a problem with this?"

 

            "No, Councilors, I am actually very thankful you chose me as one of your representatives in this case," Jane said with a nod.

 

            "The Alliance Admiralty Board has summoned you after this meeting," Councilor Valern added. "They expect you right after us. We’re going to meet your brother via hologram just in case he is not who he says he is." The Councilors got up and headed out. David waited for Jane at the door.

 

            "What does the Admiralty Board want?" Jane asked.

 

            "I don't know, but I suspect it will not be as pleasant as this meeting," David said and Jane sighed.

 

            "Thank you for the heads up," Jane said as they walked to his office.

 

            "Do you think it is him?" David asked and she paused.

 

            "I don't know...I want it to be...but at the same time, I know the things Cerberus has done...I cannot trust them," Jane said and he gave her a look.

 

            "You do realize our meeting basically is pushing you to use them?" he said and Jane nodded.

 

            "That's why I have Garrus," Jane sighed as she turned and went the long way to the admiralty board to avoid running into John.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Mr. Shepard, please come in.” An Asari aid called for him. John sighed and stood up, walking into the room. He entered the room and saw it was an office with three of the councilors in holograms and only Anderson was there in person. The last time John had seen him he was wearing an admiral’s uniform and now he was wearing a high-end suit. John had trouble seeing his friend and mentor in something other than a uniform. It would take some getting used to.

 

            “John good to see you,” Anderson said, extending a hand to shake which John gladly took.

 

            “You too Anderson.” John replied, smiling a bit.

 

            _“Commander Shepard, we welcome you back,”_ Councilor Tevos said, smiling at him as did Councilor Valern. Councilor Sparatus just looked at him with a neutral expression.

 

            “Thank you, Councilor, but I’m just a civilian now.” John said regretfully. Tevos sighed at that while Sparatus scowled at that.

 

            _“I suspected that such a thing might happen.”_ Councilor Valern noted, shaking his head. _“When they asked us if we had been keeping you on an off the books mission during your absence the admiral who requested the information was not very forthcoming about your reinstatement into the Alliance.”_

 

            “I’m hoping this does not make it difficult for me to request my reinstatement into the Spectres.” John said, cutting right to the heart of the matter. He was surprised when Councilor Sparatus actually laughed at that.

 

            _“Spectres exist outside of the realm of military. In a sense Shepard, you’re asking to return to a job you were never excluded from.”_ The Turian explained and John felt his face flush.

 

            “I meant no offense Councilors I was just hoping to have Council support and someone to send my reports on Cerberus to.” John explained.

 

            _“Technically all Spectres declared dead are still Spectres, John,”_ Councilor Valern explained. _“You’re asking us to uphold that status since you’ve been found to be working with a well-known terrorist and racist organization.”_

 

            “I don’t like it much either Councilors but I have been to Freedom’s Progress. I have documented footage of Collector’s taking colonists and I’ve been forcefully inserted into the aforementioned terrorist group. I didn’t get a chance to say this to the Alliance brass but I view this as an opportunity. I can save colonists and gather intel on Cerberus, maybe even stop some of their plans. I’ve even seen this Illusive Man and had holographic meetings with him. Who else can say that?” John countered.

 

            “Having Shepard attached only to the Council helps him safeguard our interests and deals with a known terrorist group.” Anderson said, backing John. “I understand we cannot openly support him while he’s doing this but if he does this with our knowledge we come out on top when Cerberus is broken by a Spectre solely attached to us. I understand this Council’s reluctance to assign Spectre Jane Shepard to this task while she’s still attached to the Alliance. Cerberus is a known terrorist group that had its very origins as an Alliance black ops group, it’s very possible they might still have deep ties to Alliance personnel. John Shepard is not as widely known as his sister currently is and it is reasonable for Cerberus to try to bring him deeper in now that the Alliance has officially cut ties with him. The deeper they bring him in, the more we learn and the greater chance we can stop them.” After Anderson’s speech John had to wonder what the Council had told Jane in their meeting. He watched the Councilors consider it amongst themselves before exchanging looks. Sparatus nodded at Tevos who looked at Valern who also nodded.

 

            _“John Shepard, as of this moment your Spectre status is officially upheld. You are assigned to stop the abduction of the colonists and to gather as much intel as possible on Cerberus. You are also ordered to bring them into custody if at all possible.”_ Tevos ordered. John snapped to attention and saluted them.

 

            “Yes Councilors.” John replied, feeling his heart soar.

 

            _“Good luck, Spectre,_ ” Sparatus said, smiling as only a Turians could.

 

 

~*TF*~

   

            Jane entered the Admiralty Board and saluted. All the men returned it.

 

            "Jane," Hackett said and Jane relaxed.

           

            "Admirals," she greeted but said nothing else.

 

            "Jane, don't play with them, you know what we want to know," Hackett sighed and Jane looked at the men. Only two were actually in the room besides Hackett and the others were holograms.  

 

            "I don't know if the John Shepard who is with Cerberus is actually my brother back from the dead," Jane said. The men stared at her.

 

            "What do you mean? Can't you tell?" the one with the glasses asked and Jane gave him her killing eyes.

 

            "I believed that my brother died nearly two years and two months ago...then a few days ago I received a message that my brother is alive," Jane said. "I have lost everything in my life. As a child I lost my parents, home, and planet in one day. I lost my entire team on Akuze in the matter of a few hours. I have never lost something so important and had it come back again. So no, I cannot tell. Because I have hoped for the last seven hundred and fifty-eight days that my brother was alive. Now there is a man who looks like my brother, talks like my brother, and acts like my brother and he is alive. But he works for Cerberus and if you don't know, I have no faith, trust or mercy for Cerberus." The admiral paused.

 

            "Do you think this man could be your brother?" one of the holograms asked.

 

            "I made Dr. Mordin Solus do an actual blood exam in front of me. Drawing blood from six locations, each one that I chose. He did a real time DNA comparison and the results were a match. My DNA compared to his showed a familial bond with identical mitochondrial DNA," Jane explained and several of the men blinked as they looked at something. "But he already sent that report to you in front of me."

 

            "Do you think that man could be a Cerberus spy attempting to trick the Alliance, Council, and even yourself?" the other in person admiral asked.

 

            "Of course, it’s possible, why else would I be so cautious?" Jane asked. "He was flanked by two Cerberus operatives and one former STG operative when I met him. I actually fought the Cerberus operative who claimed to have brought him back to life once before they revealed this John."

 

            "You were in combat with one of his Cerberus crew?" Hackett asked.

 

            "I cannot express where and when I encountered that agent, but I did and I saw what was done at that base. I do not trust Cerberus so the moment I saw him with her, I couldn't be as happy about seeing him as I wanted to be," Jane said and the men looked at her.

 

            "Let me put it plainly, you believe it could be him but you also believe he could be a Cerberus agent," the last hologram admiral said as she looked at Jane.

 

            "Exactly," Jane said. They were silent as they communicated on their data pads.

 

            "Jane Shepard," Admiral Hackett called and Jane nodded. "You have been selected for a special mission." Jane suspected she knew what it was.

 

            "You asked for permission to form a multispecies task force to identify and stop the human colony abductions," he said and Jane nodded.

           

            "I did," Jane said.

 

            "Your permission has been denied," Hackett stated and Jane nodded. "We have spoken to the Citadel Council about your mission and we relieve you of your post on the SSV Okinawa so that you may serve the Council in this mission which benefits both the Alliance and the Citadel Council." Jane wondered what the catch was.

 

            "While you are stopping the disappearance of our colonists, we have an additional assignment for you," the one with the glasses stated. "Confirm the identity of this John Shepard. We want to know beyond a reasonable doubt if he is who he says he is. If he is your brother where has he been? What has he been doing? We’ve had the medical reports thoroughly examined and our experts don’t believe he was unconscious this entire time even if he believes he was. Find out what he’s been doing, find out if he is who he says he is, and if he’s an imposter take him into custody." Jane felt a load removed from her shoulders. She didn't have to know, she had a Council mission and while she was doing that, she could decide.

 

            "Admirals," Jane said with a salute. It was returned. The two of the live admirals left and all of the holograms shut down, leaving her alone with Hackett.

 

            "Jane," he said and she nodded. "Keep me in the loop."

 

            "Of course, Sir," she said with a salute. Things would be a little more interesting.

 

~*TF*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle Note: Between writing the last chapter and writing this one, I started a new playthrough of ME2. It has been a while. The feels are still strong, from the moment of Shepard's death to that first sight of the SR2, the music, the dialogue. I love this trilogy. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Andromeda...apparently I'm a minority in that department. But there was something about Shepard that the Ryders just don't have. Maybe if they ever get more games it will grow, but I don't know. ME2 is my favorite game of the trilogy and I cannot wait to alter it with the presence of two Shepards.
> 
> Toby Note: I have to admit I liked Andromeda as well but they kind screwed the pooch. I didn’t experience all the facial glitches and other glitches cause after I finally finished Breath of the Wild the first wave of patches came out. So, I liked the game but it didn’t have the same feel as the original. In the Original Trilogy you’re doing your best to protect everyone. Here you feel like a pilgrim who got lost. I like the premise but it feels a bit lacking story wise. And way too many unanswered questions. Damn BioWare political bullshit. They may have shot themselves in the foot but they better not kill the franchise. 
> 
> Anyways, rant over. Chapter Thirteen approaches! Guess who’s going to join the team this time! I even got a surprise for you folks! *evil grin*


	14. Can I Trust The Person You Are Now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane officially boards the SR2. She makes a quick and unpopular move with the rooming assignments. The SR2 takes off to recruit Dr. Okeer and two new crew members join the team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby’s Note: So here comes the first major shift away from canon. I want to thank you guys who have read with us from the start. I know it must have been aggravating to reread what was essentially a novelization of ME1 with only minor changes. In my defense, I felt the same way some times but changes steam roll. As the old saying goes, rolling a snowball down a hill can build into an avalanche given enough time. Or something close to that. You get the point.
> 
> Belle's Note: Toby does not speak for me. I thought by adding two Shepards we were breaking precedents left and right. While the first game was followed strictly, it was the need for the Shepards to be known as twins, given as we all only knew them as a single entity before. However, I'm hoping you are enjoying the difference between ME1 and ME2 already and it will only grow because now the galaxy has had a Spectre Shepard on the Council's side for two years while another was on ice...well he wasn't really dead...but almost dead. Now is when we see the real butterfly effect take place.

 

Earth Date: January 18th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Currently docked to the Citadel

 

            Jane stared out the window of the starboard observation deck window, she was dressed in all black. She wore a tee shirt with the N7 logo on the right breast and the stripe with black N7 training pants. She wouldn't wear a uniform on the Normandy this time, but she was going to be comfortable. The scene of the Citadel was clear, so was the obvious Cerberus spy in the room.

 

            "EDI," Jane said, the AI was dangerous, but Joker seemed okay with it...not that Jane had a chance to talk to Joker. She had hidden with Dr. Chakwas and Garrus till they got to the Citadel. She would need to ask Joker why he had never returned her calls about rejoining the Alliance...another time, now to deal with the AI spy.

 

            "Yes, C...." EDI began and Jane held up her hand, stopping EDI.

 

            "I am not here as an Alliance Officer, EDI, I am here as a Council Spectre. Please address me as Spectre Shepard while I am on the ship. Commander Shepard is your commander," Jane said.

 

            "You are used to working with you brother as equals," EDI stated and Jane wondered about the program. She wished she had Tali.

           

            "I haven't worked with my brother in over two years. I am also not a member of Cerberus," Jane said. "EDI...I was curious. What are the most secure channels on this ship? I need to know how to contact the Council should my...should Commander Shepard need Council aid." EDI flickered and for a moment, Jane wondered if that was supposed to be an expression. Weird.

 

            "I can communicate anything you need, Spectre Shepard," EDI said and Jane shook her head.

           

            "Not for Council protocol. Look up the third Phalanx Amendment," Jane said. That particular piece of ingenious and current situational useful Turian paranoia protocol required a terminal without any computer intelligence programs connected to it. 

 

            "For those security measures you would need a terminal connected to the communication channel that I would not be able to access," EDI said.

 

            "Is that even possible on the Normandy?" Jane asked.

 

            "Completely. Officer Lawson's quarters has the only terminal capable of this," EDI said. Jane fought a smile.

 

            "Is that so?" Jane asked. "Only one terminal on this ship?"

 

            "Officer Lawson is highly trusted within Cerberus, she was hand selected for her job," EDI said.

 

            "Thank you, EDI," Jane said as she picked up her two bags. "Come, Blasto." The varren looked at her from the sofa. He hopped off and quickly came to her side as she exited the starboard observation deck. Miranda had obviously left her door unlocked and Jane fought a dangerous smile as she walked right in. She dropped her bags and crossed her arms over her chest. Miranda blinked in indignation before narrowing her eyes.

 

            "Shepard," she said coolly. "How may I...help you?" Clearly John had told Miranda to play nice. Jane could use that to get what she needed.

 

            "That's Spectre Shepard to you, Operative Lawson," Jane replied as she began to move around Miranda's desk. The Cerberus agent was as smart as expected. She got up immediately, not wanting to be sitting as Jane approached.

 

            "What do you want, Shepard?" Miranda said, she was holding herself with tight control.

 

            "I want a lot of things, Lawson," Jane said as she looked around the room. Blasto saw the opportunity and began exploring the bedroom area of the room.

 

            "Get that varren out of here!" Miranda growled and Jane turned to her and let her eyes turn cold.

 

            "No...this is going to be my room. That would...help me...immensely," Jane stated and Miranda looked at her. "Don't try me again, Cerberus agent, I nearly took that drop ship with you on it out of the sky." Miranda's eyes went wide. "That's right, I was there and I so very nearly had you. I don't like losing terrorist scum like you."

 

            "You don't know me, Spectre Shepard," Miranda growled and Jane gave her a look.

 

            "Do you know how many files we got from your operatives? Do you know how many files we took from your terminals before your fail safes activated? I suspect I could pay the Shadow Broker good money to get all the information and I wonder which projects my dear...brother...wouldn't be pleased to see your name attached to," Jane said. Miranda was backtracking away from Jane as she approached and Jane fought a smirk as she herded Miranda right where she wanted her. Miranda was no saint, but being busy with John meant that Miranda couldn't have been involved with the worst cases in the last couple years, but it would be a cold day in Hell before Jane trusted the woman. "I want this room and Blasto is already attached. Don't worry, I'll pack for you." Jane got right into Miranda's face and Miranda stepped back, right out the open door. Jane closed the door and quickly threw a stasis on the door, holding it shut. She went around the room, grabbing belongings until the stasis fell.

 

            "Shepard! How dare-" Miranda couldn't get more out because Jane shoved an armful of belongings into her arms and used a light push to her shoulders to knock Miranda back a few steps before Jane did the same, closing the door and using a stasis. This time Miranda was to the side as Jane began tossing items out of the room. "This is childish!" Miranda attempted to enter and Blasto was ready, growing and snarling. Miranda would not step foot into the room and Jane kept throwing things out of the room.

 

            "This is ridiculous!" Miranda cried and marched off. Jane smirked and in four quick back and forth passes of the room, removed all of Miranda's personal items, depositing them in the hall.

 

            "Spectre Shepard, what did you hope to achieve with that?" EDI asked as Jane looked around. She squatted down next to her first duffle and began pulling out a mixture of clothes and weapons.

 

            "You and Miranda are smart, EDI, you'll figure it out," Jane said. "You sooner than Lawson."       

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Mordin is currently engrossed with analyzing the data we got from Veetor,” John mused, scrolling over his data pad. “So I think we can count him out on any missions for now. Miranda indicated the funds are still in the process of being transferred to the Purgatory so we can’t pick up Jack yet.”

 

            “I’m still not comfortable with us literally buying a criminal out of one of the most secure prisons in the galaxy,” Garrus noted, reading his own data pad, “Jack’s rap sheet is thirty teraquads. It’d take me a decade to read it all.”

 

            “Actually Mr. Vakarian it would approximately take you thirteen years, seven months, two day and six hours, with appropriate time needed for sleep, food, and recreational activities to avoid stress,” EDI chimed in helpfully from her holographic avatar. John laughed under his breath as Garrus grumbled.

 

            “Thank you, EDI, but Garrus was just using the time reference to point out how many crimes Jack has committed to enforce the point that us picking up Jack was a bad idea,” Jacob explained.

 

            “Ah, thank you Mr. Taylor. Perhaps it was good then that I did not offer to have Professor Solus install an implant into Mr. Vakarian’s frontal lobes so that I may download the information directly into his brain.” EDI replied. It got deathly quietly in the conference room as the three men exchanged worried looks. “That was a joke.”

 

            John couldn’t contain his laughter this time as EDI’s last minute addition broke the awkward silence. Garrus gave him a nasty look before shaking his head. Jacob was just staring at EDI’s hologram with wide eyes.

 

            “You can make those?” he exclaimed.

 

            “Moving on!” Garrus cut in before EDI spoke up. “I’d suggest we’d recruit Dr. Okeer. He’s supposed to have contacted the Collectors to obtain some of their tech. Despite being a doctor he’s a well-known warlord as well. Frankly I think we’re going to need Krogan muscle on this mission.”

 

            “Makes sense to me,” John said, still smiling from earlier. “Jacob would you tell Joker to set course for Korlus?”

 

            “On it, Shepard,” Jacob replied, heading out of the room. After he left, John tossed his data pad on the desk and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. Despite knowing how Jane felt about him right now, he still missed her input. Discussing the mission choices with Garrus and Jacob helped but it wasn’t the same.

 

            “Still feeling okay, John?” Garrus inquired and John opened his eyes and lowered his hand to glance at Garrus who was looking at him in concern.

 

            “I’m okay considering that Cerberus saving my life has so far cost me the Alliance career I worked so hard for, the trust and love of the only family I have left, and I still can’t contact Liara.” John grumbled. If he didn’t need them so badly for the sake of the mission, he’d have already arrested Jacob and Miranda and dumped them at the Council’s feet with not even a by your leave. Worse was that Liara wasn’t returning any of his calls and messages. She was supposed working from Illium but every time he called her secretary said she was off planet and she had no idea where.

 

            Suffice it to say he was feeling a bit bitter and frustrated.

 

            “Well at least the Alliance brass agreed to have your civilian status restored,” Garrus offered and John snorted.

 

            “Yeah, for all the good it does me. The joint account transferred to Jane when my death was legally declared so the only funds I have access to are my private account," John muttered.

 

            "You could ask her," Garrus suggested and John gave him a look.

           

            "I'm not even going to try to talk to her while she's using that varren as a living shield,” John snarked. “I’m her brother and she acts like I’m just this… _thing_ , wearing his face.”

 

            “It’ll take time, John,” Garrus said softly, “when you died Jane just withdrew into herself. She had some sort of fight with Liara and after that she just pulled further and further away from us. Several months back she got hurt badly on a mission. I was the only one who knew and that’s just because I had called in a favor with the Salarian that organized Spectre records and statuses for the Council. It’s the only reason I knew she’d been hurt.”

 

            “You mean from when she fought Dirake,” John stated flatly. Garrus’s mandibles twitched in what John had come to realize was the Turian equivalent of an awkward expression.

 

            “You heard about that?”

 

            “I _saw_ it.” John grunted. He knew that would haunt him. Jane’s face blown apart, the back of her head caved in right at her implant, blood covering her face and armor. And he hadn’t been there to stop it.

 

            “She has an Asari friend in the Spectres. I never got her name but she and a bunch of the other Spectres chipped in to get Jane back to full strength. She even has an L5 implant if what my contact at the hospital says is true.” Garrus revealed and John shot the Turian a grateful look.

 

            “Thank you for taking care of her.”

 

            “After everything we’ve been through it was nothing,” Garrus waved off and John grinned.

 

            “It’s good to know I can count you buddy,” John said.

 

            “Well there is something I’d like to ask if you’d be okay with. I’d like to-” Garrus was cut off as the conference room doors snapped open. Miranda stormed in, biotic energy crackling along her skin and clothing. John had never seen the Cerberus doctor so angry before.

 

            “Shepard you need to have a word with your _sister_ ,” Miranda said, practically hissing the word. “She’s thrown me out of my quarters and tossed my things out after me! Who knows what that filthy Varren of hers is doing to my mattress! Do you know what I paid for that bed?”

 

            “Oh God,” John groaned, closing his eyes to rub at his temples for a moment. Garrus’s laughter wasn’t helping either. “Why don’t you have EDI override the door lock and sort this out yourselves?”

 

            “I did!” Miranda shouted, or screeched an immature part of John’s brain piped up that he immediately squashed. “That damn mutt of hers took a lunge at me!”

 

            “Yeah Blasto does that,” Garrus offered drawing Miranda’s furious look to him. The poor Turian winced and tried to blend into the wall behind him.

 

            “Look I’ll talk to her but I highly doubt I’ll get Jane to budge. I’m not her favorite person right now. If I can’t get your bed and desk, I’ll make Jane pay for replacements to be delivered to the starboard observation deck. You can set up in there like Kasumi did on the other side. You’ll even have a view of the stars.” John offered.  Miranda seemed to consider for a moment.

 

            “Fine but I want my computer back at the least. Even if you get the bed back I won’t sleep on a bed a Varren has laid on. I want a new bed too!” Miranda demanded and John nodded with a sigh.

 

            “I’ll be back.” He said as he left the room.

 

            “Watch out for Blasto’s leg! He marks things!” Garrus called out after him.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane had tossed her clothing into the 'bedroom' section of the room and was looking through her Spectre gear when the door opened. That would need to change, Jane needed to know that her room was secure.

 

“Mind explaining to me why you kicked the executive officer of this ship out of her quarters and took them for your own?” John demanded as he strolled into the room. His gaze shifted to just behind Jane to the bed where Jane’s varren was sprawled on the bed, making dog-like sounds as he shuffled on his back across the bed. John sighed. “And how you’re going to pay for a new bed and desk for her?”

 

"Let me fill you in on something...John...I have personally been involved in assaults on Cerberus bases, I cannot tell you how many because all were N7 missions and you no longer have the authority to look that up. I'm sure EDI will be more than willing to let you know any possible attacks that I might have played a part in as far as Cerberus is concerned. I know Cerberus better than you and I don't want a room where anyone can enter. This room gives me the advantage because Blasto can guard the door," Jane said as she crossed her arms under her breasts. "You are Cerberus' very expensive investment, but I'm not. Unless Garrus decides he wants us to bunk up for safety, I'm taking this room. Miranda can have her bed and desk back. Blasto is clean. I'm sure as hell not buying that xenophobe bitch a bed."

 

"Which you could have easily done if you'd bunked in the starboard observation room." John snapped back at her. He shot her a look but Jane kept her face shut down, she was locking her thoughts back with the best poker face he had ever seen. "Tell me the real reason. And as an aside, do you honestly think I'm going to convince that woman to sleep in a bed that a varren has been rolling around in? You took this room without a damn word to anyone, not to me, not to anyone. You literally threw her out with her things. You're going to pay for a new bed at the least while the crew relocates her desk and computer. Lastly you're going to apologize!"

 

"Do you know Miranda, John?" Jane asked, her eyes going into their cold, killing stare. "I do. I've seen the work she deals in. I'm actually glad they put her on your project because if she had..." Jane stopped herself. "It doesn't matter. I'm not buying her a bed. That bed is fine. Blasto gets a bath after every mission. I don't want him getting scale rash. Besides, that xenophobe deserves worse."

 

"The work she's dealt in for the past two years has been me." John said. "I had a long talk with Miranda on the way here since you refused to speak with me. I got to know her.  She may work for Cerberus but she saved my life. Now get out, go apologize and pay for the replacement. This my ship and I'm ordering you out of this room."

 

Jane stared at John and didn't move. She knew Miranda was on John's project, she wasn't talking about the last two years, but John could play it that way if he wanted.  

 

"What do you know about Miranda Lawson?" Jane asked after a moment. "Because I bet I know a lot more than you. I won't apologize to her. I won't be buying replacement anything. Also, you don't have rank on me. The Council suggested I work with you. I don't have to. I can leave and start investigating colonies. I know of four high risk colonies I could camp at. I'll sit and wait for the Collectors by myself since the Alliance sent me to do that solo anyway." The real John would never let Jane risk her life by sitting on a colony where she could be taken as well. 

 

"Why in the hell would you do that?" John replied. "We're going straight for the source and you'd rather sit on a colony and let people die elsewhere just because you won't apologize to one of the people who saved my life?" Jane stayed still and he waved a hand at her. "You know what, don't bother. You've made up your mind about these people just because Cerberus employs them. Well they're still people, Jane, and I'd bet a lot of them have been lied to, just like they lied about Akuze. I'll buy the damn bed from my old funds." John turned to go. "You need to stop being such a bitch and realize that this ship may have been created by Cerberus, I may have been saved by Cerberus but this mission isn't just a Cerberus mission. It's about saving innocent people. Not slaughtering them and letting them go adrift like you did Joker." Jane's vision turned red for a moment, only John would be as stupid as this. He thought she was ignoring the colonist, did he have any idea how many of those colonies she evaluated herself? How many notifications of lost colonists she delivered? If he weren't John, she was going to beat him to death, but...if he honestly didn't know...he might be John.  

 

A stasis field sprung up around John, holding him in place. The desk was biotically shoved past him out of the room followed by the bed with the computer on top. Jane walked up to John and got in his face.

 

"You were in a coma for over two years, you have no idea what happened. Maybe you should do a little research without the Cerberus filters in place," Jane growled. "EDI, why don't you tell John about the Cerberus filters." Jane dropped the stasis and stood in John's path.

 

"Spectre John Shepard is already aware of the Cerberus filters," EDI stated as John glared at his sister. "I believe his information comes from council records and public news articles he transferred into his quarter’s computer terminal."

 

"You know you act like you know everything Jane, but you're still the same little arrogant brat that I grew up with!" John shouted at her. Both Shepards ignored the fact that this argument was now taking place in the hallway of the crew deck. "Do you honestly think I'd trust every bit of information given to me from Cerberus as if was word from on high? I spent hours combing through records and news articles on you and even then, I know I don’t know everything. And some of things I did find out about made my stomach drop! How do you think I felt when Joker told me you abandoned him after the Alliance turned their back on him? Why would you do that!"

 

"I don't know everything. I never said I did. But I know you don't. You never asked me about Joker. You talked about Joker but not with me. You know nothing about the last two years of my life except what you have seen on the extranet," Jane hissed as she walked into the room. "I know that every last person on this ship is being used by the Illusive Man, including me. You should spend some time pumping EDI about what Cerberus tried to do to me while sweet Miranda was saving you." She went into her room.

 

As the doors closed behind Jane, John couldn't help it.

 

"FUCK!" he bellowed, smacking the monitor off the desk with a viscous backhand as he stormed by, sending the screen flying to smash into the closed doors.  He stormed to the elevator, frustrated with his sister's inability to openly listen to anything he said. She’d taken every word he'd said and twisted it. He knew she'd been through hell but she refused to open up to him about it, believing every word he'd said was actually Cerberus's words. He stewed, the argument replaying itself over in his head. He could have handled that entire conversation better that was for damn sure.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane took out a device from her duffle and smiled. This little baby was a gift from some Spectre friends. It would sniff out all of EDI's eyes in the room. Maybe a few of the Shadow Broker's too, but Jane wouldn't hold her breath on the Shadow Broker's.

           

            "I know you didn't tell the whole truth, EDI," Jane said and the AI was silent, was that an admission of guilt? Fucking AIs and logic. "The news articles I was looking at, the Council files I reviewed, and my own personal emails in that starboard observation deck, all of them showed something off. A filter is in place, altering things. I don't know to what purpose, but you are making me think that I'm being given a very bad reputation among the crew of the Normandy." Jane set up the device. It sent out lasers and quickly targeted several areas of the room. Jane began to mark them with a pen.

 

            "What are you doing, Spectre Shepard?" EDI asked.

 

            "That terminal allowed me to see the articles without whatever weird filter you guys put on this ship. You didn't lie that this terminal was the correct one for my needs. But I know you just lied to him," Jane said. EDI had lied to him...did that mean it was John? Or was the actor so good she was being fooled? She wanted it to be John, oh God she wanted it to be John. Cerberus would need to lie to John or was it all a show for Jane's benefit. Damn it, she wanted it to be John, but the galaxy needed her to be smart about it.

 

            "That does not explain what you are doing Spectre Shepard," EDI said and Jane smiled, it was not a nice smile.

           

            "I think you know exactly what I am doing EDI," Jane said as she finished and turned off the device, closing it up and putting it back in her bag. "What do you think I am doing?"

 

            "You have targeted all of my cameras in this room," EDI said and Jane chuckled.

           

            "Oh, I think that's a lie too. But yeah, I'm going to blind you," Jane said as she looked at EDI. One threat down, she would need to talk to Joker soon too. That line John made about her abandoning Joker. Jane had tried to contact Joker after she was given the SSV Okinawa, he had left her hanging...hadn't he? Something was up and Jane didn't like it. She needed some one on one time with the smart ass pilot. She pulled a second device from her bag and approached the first mark on the wall. The small robot began to locate and extract that camera from the wall. Within a few moments the camera dropped from the device into Jane's hand. She studied the camera.

 

            "This does not help with team unity," EDI stated and Jane nodded.

 

            "I think there are more filters on this ship than John knows about and I think you have been programmed to keep it that way," Jane said and EDI flickered. "So I am going to remove your cameras and your mics and your little projector."

 

            "To what end, Spectre Shepard?" EDI asked.

 

            "I suspect you are invested in the success of this mission. I need to trust you, EDI, if this mission is to succeed you need me because that John needs me. So you need John, John needs me, and I need you," Jane stated. Hopefully EDI's logic processors would help this process. EDI flickered.

           

            "I see, you aim to test my trustworthiness by keeping me out of your room. The more consideration I give you the more you will believe that Commander Shepard is who we say he is," EDI stated and Jane nodded. Jane was lying on that end, EDI could tell her it was John all day, but Jane needed to know on her own, not because a Cerberus created AI told her. "It will not be that easy, but I understand the concept of trust. What can I do to get you to trust me, Spectre Shepard?"

 

            "Give me control of the locks on this door and trust me that I will not do anything to harm this ship, but I need to have the cameras and microphones out of this room. Your display is also going to need to be augmented," Jane began.   

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 23th, 2186 CE

Location: In route to Korlus, Three Hours Out

 

            For the past five days there had been a tense atmosphere on the ship. Word had rapidly spread through the ship about the fight and as a result the Cerberus crew was on edge every time Jane walked into a room. Kelly Chambers had actually tried to talk to Jane Shepard. Jane had not been open, but Kelly had been rather excited about the idea of becoming "friends" with the Spectre, but otherwise Jane had let Kelly speak and said precious little. Most of the crew admitted watching the exchange had been awkward, many had been worried Jane might strike the overly friendly therapist but Jane had let her speak before moving on.

 

            John Shepard, however, had been making a point to get to know his new crew. He’d been going out of his way to speak with each of them and even help them out. He’d even won some of their admiration when he’d personally bought a wide variety of human supplies before they left and even helped carry the new bed for their XO’s quarters into the her new room. The old bed had been left outside of her old quarters where it had disappeared shortly after. Most assumed Jane took it back but John didn’t know for sure as shortly after EDI had report that her visual monitoring and audio devices in the room had all been destroyed except for the holographic terminal Jane had altered with, of all things, a physical on/off switch.

 

            After that they had set off to meet with Okeer and the crew fell into their trained roles, a routine like on most ships settling in. The only break was when one of the specialists or officers would enter the room. Jane Shepard was as her title sounded, a specter, while John rarely saw her, she was a regular at meal times and her PT time. While she spent large amounts of time with both Garrus and Dr. Chakwas, she did seem to be making the rounds with the Cerberus crew. While no one came out to say they liked her, they were losing some of their initial concern about the Council Spectre. Although most would report that their conversations with her sometimes felt like interrogations. Gabby commented it was like an antisocial child trying to get to know the other kids in class.

 

            John himself walked the ship, speaking to crewmen and even pinching in as needed. There was a photo currently circulating amongst the crew of John Shepard. It had come about when Gardner had requested the Spectre’s help in the kitchen. The photo wasn’t of when John had been asked but half an hour later when John’s cooking attempts had incinerated a dextro-meal for Garrus covering the poor Spectre’s face with a burst of soot. Needless to say the mess hall had erupted in laughter at John’s sheepish, soot covered face and an enterprising crewman had snapped a picture with his omni-tool.

 

            Now, however they were only a few hours from entering orbit around Korlus and John had been called to the cockpit from his private terminal where he was sorting through numerous e-mails and supply lists from the Illusive Man. He hardly knew why they had so many rare weapons except for the fact they could. Shaking his head as he came into the cockpit area where Joker was frowning at something on his front screen and Miranda was studying her own data pad.

 

            “What’s up Joker?” John asked as he came up to the pilot.

 

            “Do you remember that sensor echo we pick up two days ago, Shepard?” Joker reminded him and John nodded. It had been a routine end of the day briefing and Joker had flagged the anomaly.

 

            “It’s there again, Shepard.” Joker pointed to the holo-screen in front of him. “It’s about an hour behind us and this time it’s steady. I think it’s been following us since we hit the second relay in our course.”

 

            “What the hell is it?” John grumbled, studying the screen over Joker’s shoulder. They couldn’t even get a solid reading of its shape. Just a steady energy signature and vague navigation course. Which was always following the SR2.

 

            “Unknown, Commander. However I do have something interesting of note,” EDI spoke up from the left and John turned to look at her hologram. “I have been cataloging the various Spectre records and news articles you have brought on board. The anomaly has shown up on the last four missions that your sister has taken. Every time she used the SSV Okinawa as transport, they noted the anomaly. They classified it as background noise since they would have had to travel back three hours to see what it was. The energy signature is a match.”

 

            “So they would have classified the anomaly as part of the spacial wake and moved on, not even bothering Jane with it,” John noted. “And since we’re not an Alliance vessel it’s gotten closer and we get a better readings to know it is following us."

 

            “More than likely it’s following your sister,” Miranda noted, studying the additional readings. “For a few months now, looks like.”

 

            “But why is it following her?” John countered. “And why does it feel less threatened by us rather than an Alliance ship?”

 

            “I don’t know, sir, but it’ll arrived at Korlus roughly an hour into the mission,” Miranda noted and John groaned. This was not what he needed right now.

 

            “Alright, we’ll proceed like normal but Joker you call us on the surface if anything happens. You stay in active scan as well till the ground team returns to the Normandy.” John ordered and Joker nodded.

 

            “Have you decided who you’re going to take, John?” Miranda inquired and John sighed.

 

            “Yeah and neither of you are going to like it. Especially when I remind Jane that Garrus is going to be following my orders and not hers.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was cleaning her gun in the armory when John entered.

 

            "We are ready to leave for Korlus' surface," he said and Jane and Garrus shared a nod before they both cleaned up what they were doing. Garrus was out the door and as Jane moved to follow John moved in the way. Blasto growled and Jane snapped, pointing down and the varren heeled at her side.

 

            "You have something to say?" Jane asked and John gave her a look. It was his business face. On the SR-1 Jane would have asked when he sat on the stick up his ass, but it wasn't the SR-1 and Jane wasn't going to joke until she knew the truth about the man in front of her.

 

            "This is my team," he said and Jane stared at him. Ah, John was playing top dog.

 

            "The Normandy and her crew are yours to command," Jane said and he blinked at her. "I'm a fellow Spectre, we are working together to save lives. I will help you, but you watch who you order. I'm not under Cerberus authority, I'm under the Council's Spectre Shepard." John stared at her as she walked around him and he stared at her back as she stopped. "Hurry up, we have a krogan to recruit to this apparent suicide mission."

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 20th, 2186 CE

Location: Korlus, Planet side

 

            The mission had just barely started and it already went to hell in a hand basket. They’d just stepped out of the shuttle and gun fire was erupting down the way. He heard a woman shouting orders, probably to the Blue Suns Mercs, and those very same mercs were fighting dozens of Krogan. John resisted the urge to rubs his temples again as another headache settled itself in.

 

            “Once, just once mind you,” John said to Garrus as he gestured before him at the bodies of the mercs that had already attacked them and been dealt with. “I want a mission to go smoothly. We fly in, walk up to the guys we’re supposed to meet, have a pleasant conversation, and walk away with a win. But no, now we have to fight our way across a giant ball of rusted metal!”

 

            “A little frustrated, John?” Miranda asked, amused.

 

            “Wouldn’t you be after the week I’ve had?” John retorted. Garrus laughed as he re-holstered his sniper rifle.

 

            “I stopped a rocket with my face in the same week. I win.”

 

            “Can we focus, _please_?” Jane stated coolly and John rolled his eyes.

 

            “I think we can assume Okeer isn’t here by choice,” John noted, leading the others past some of the twisted metal, which had been dragged to form corridors. “It looks like they’ve formed some sort of training course using the wreckage.”

 

            “I really want to shoot each of these loudspeakers,” Garrus grumbled as they moved up a small incline.

 

            “Let’s ask him if there’s an off switch,” Jane noted, gesturing towards a human in Blue Sun armor, probably one of the men that had attacked them earlier.

 

            “…won’t stop bleeding…I’m gonna…son of a bitch!” the wounded merc groaned, getting to his feet.

 

            “Actually, it doesn’t appear to be fatal,” Miranda noted to John. Jane grunted at that.

 

            “He doesn’t need to know that,” she said, strolling towards the man.

 

            “I _knew_ it wasn’t berserkers. Not at range.  You’re mercs. Or Alliance,” he grunted and then he got a good look at Jane. “Aw hell, you’re that crazy Spectre bitch! Don’t eat me!”

 

            “What did you do to the Blue Suns to get _that_ reputation?” John demanded and Jane rolled her eyes.

 

            “I may have let Blasto nibble on the occasional prisoner to get them to talk,” Jane allowed and John sighed in exasperation.

 

            “See this is why I made you leave him behind,” John grunted.

 

            “While they debate whether or not to feed you to a Varren, anything you could tell us would help out a lot,” Garrus told the wounded merc.

 

            “Aw hell. Look, I don’t know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old Krogan up there, he’s really been cleaning house lately.” The merc explained. “Jedore hired him to make her an army of Krogan but all of the Krogan he makes are insane so we use them for live ammo training. It’s all bullshit! I don’t get paid to bleed out!” Just then the merc’s radio beeped and rang out drawing everyone’s attention.

 

            _“Outpost Four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on the Krogan pack.”_ The merc turned from his radio and looked at them worried. Jane kept her killing eyes on him but John moved towards the man, looking grim.

 

            “I want your friends, gone. Understand?” John said forcefully and softly. The man winced but clicked his radio on.

 

            “Uh, patrol? The last group…dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago.” The man told them. John nodded, satisfied.

 

            _“Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show.”_

 

            “You wanted an update you got one! Dispersed!” The merc said, a little snippy. John stepped back, satisfied his point got across.

 

            _“Understood. Returning to the labs.”_

 

            “If you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out, kid,” Jane said, turning and heading down the way, the others following.

 

            “Shit. Shit!”

 

~*TF*~

 

            As they walked Jane took in the course. It was a killing field, the Blue Suns were no match for the krogan, but the krogan didn't seem organized. They fought strangely, they weren't out for the win, just the slaughter, but not the usual blood rage slaughter, more just a killing for the sake of killing slaughter. It was off.

 

            Blue Suns popped up behind barriers like demented jack in the boxes and Jane put up a barrier before she ran. They stared in shock for a moment, firing slightly less as Jane jumped over the first barrier, pulling the two up. As Jane landed she drew her pistol and put a round in their heads before leaping down from the walkway to the bottom. Two more Suns popped up and Jane heard shots from behind her as her barrier dropped. A third merc was on the walkway where she killed the other two. She threw a singularity between the two on the walkway above. They floated like dummies before she sent a warp, exploding the singularity and throwing the two mercs into the walls with enough force to break them good enough to keep them out of the fight.

 

            "Jane!" John cried but she was continuing forward as two more mercs popped up. The one on the left was suddenly sporting a hole in the front of his armor as Jane used a slam on the other one. He started to get up and she put a round into his head. She turned the corner at a full sprint. She saw more Suns and glared as she tossed herself with a throw. She spun over the first barrier and as she landed on her stomach she drew her rifle. She used a throw to push another barrier forward. The mercs followed the barrier so Jane popped up. She got one with a temple shot. The second was a forehead over the left eye. She caught more cover in the corner of her eye to the left. She dropped again as more shots came from behind her. "God damn it, Jane!"

 

            She leapt over the cover and pulled another barrier as she ran. Shots followed her and she heard the mercs cry. She looked in time to see the rocket launcher and she dropped into a skid that would have made a baseball player proud. An explosion hit the ground behind her and dirt showered her. She popped up. A pull yanked the rocket launching merc towards Jane. She pulled up her pistol and put a round into him while the group behind her took the other two. Jane ran forward. She saw the back of a krogan, he was firing up at two mercs and Jane put another singularity between the two. The krogan looked back at her before shooting a rocket at the mercs. They shuddered and Jane threw another warp. The two were done. Jane kept her pistol drawn but lowered it. The krogan turned to her and slowly approached. The others came around the corner and paused.

           

            "Jane..." John warned but she raised a hand as the krogan sniffed her.

 

            "You...are different. New. You don't smell like this world. Seven night cycles, and I have felt only the need to kill. But you...something makes me speak," the krogan said and Jane stared at him.

 

            "He's a week old?" Miranda muttered.

 

            "They must breed them full size, ready to kill. Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training," John muttered to Miranda. Jane looked at the krogan who studied her before looking at John.

 

            "Bred...to kill. No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to. But it's not why I was flushed from glass mother," the krogan said and Jane felt sympathy for the creatures now. They were bred and made, but not raised or given purpose. How shallow life must be, especially for a krogan, when nothing had attachment. "Survival is what I hear in my head. Against the enemy that threatens all my kind. But I failed even before waking." The genophage. Okeer was here trying to overcome the genophage and he was using the Blue Suns to help fund his research. The Suns would be angry when they realized what Okeer had done. Of course, they might not be alive if the krogan were still this capable as failures to Okeer. "That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here." Jane felt a stab of sympathy for this krogan. He couldn't defeat the genophage so Okeer didn't need him.

 

            "You're supposed to be a part of a mercenary army. Do you remember Jedore?" Jane asked and the krogan stared at her again. He seemed thoughtful.

 

            "I know that name. It causes anger. But also laughter. It is not a name that will be sung when we march. I don't know what that means, but I have heard it many times," the krogan said and Jane began to hate Okeer. He created these creatures and when they failed to do what he wanted, he left them to die. Bastard. He would not find the krogan very receptive to these tank bred.

 

            "How can you speak if you're only a week old?" Garrus asked.

 

            "There was a scratching sound in my head, and it became the voice. It taught things I would need: walking, talking, hitting, shooting. Then the voice said I was not perfect and the teaching stopped. And now I am here," the krogan said. Jane would make a point to get Okeer alone to speak to him about his creations. It might require bloodshed, Okeer only needed one heart to help beat the Collectors.

 

            "So he raised you until you no longer fit his parameters, then he rejected you," Jane growled. "Was it Okeer's voice? Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"

 

            "I heard the voice. Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it "father." It liked that. But it was disappointed. I am not what it needs me to be," the krogan said and Jane wondered if this one was smarter than the others. Were all of Okeer's krogan actually intelligent? Smart krogan lived long. He wasn't without worth.

 

            "You are only a failure to the voice," Jane said. "You just didn't escape the effects of the genophage."

 

            "Escape? Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore," the krogan said.

 

            "How did you fail?" John asked and Jane almost thought it was like the old days. She shoved that thought away.

 

            "I don't know. It was decided before I left tank mother. I was not perfect," the krogan said.

 

            "It could be that the krogan weren't mentally stable," Miranda stated, looking at another krogan's corpse.

 

            "I don't know of that. But I am not perfect," he said.

 

            "We destroyed Saren's cure. How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the genophage if not by curing it?" John muttered. A good question.

 

            "Can you show us the laboratory? We need to speak with Okeer," Jane said and the krogan looked at her.

 

            "The...glass mother. She is up. Past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you," the krogan said. He walked towards one of the walls, smacking his hands dry and stretching his neck. The krogan grabbed the massive piece of metal and lifted. Jane appreciated the effort that went into lifting the massive piece out of the way. "You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way."

 

            "You could have run or tried to fight your way back to the labs. Why stay here?" Jane asked.

 

            "I am waiting. The voice told me. If they come, I fight. But I will not run. And I will not follow. I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released," the krogan said as he walked away. Jane looked after him for a moment as he pulled out his shotgun. John stood behind her and she turned quickly. He gave her a look.

 

            "You don't run ahead," he said and Jane gave him a look and he shook his head. "I'm not giving an order, your style was never to rush ahead. Even when I charged inI was never more than ten feet from the team with no enemies between us. You left use behind and put whole squads between us."

 

            "I'm a Spectre, most of the time I do work for the Council, I work alone or in a small team," Jane said and he gave her a hard look, he was trying to think how to word it. Maybe it was John...maybe it was a fake trying to figure out what to say.

 

            "I'm a Spectre too. I need you with my team," he said and Jane stared. "I know what you can do...for the most part, Jane, I need your skills with me. I need you. We all do." She stared at that. He needed her with the group. He was appealing to her sense of duty as a Spectre and more importantly, he wasn't ordering her around.

 

            "Fine...but hurry up. We want to make it to Okeer before the Blue Suns," Jane said. "Lead the way." John blinked before he took point. Jane waited to walk near Garrus a few feet behind the other two.

 

            "So...what do you think?" he asked, where they were far enough behind that they wouldn’t hear them talk.

 

            "I will keep my thoughts to myself for a while longer, Mr. Vakarian," Jane said and Garrus nodded.

             

~*TF*~

 

            “I don’t like this.” John mused, looking out the doorway. Their route to Okeer took them on a walkway literally over a large gap between ship wrecks, with almost a half mile drop to the ground. This walkway was against the length of one hull wreck and across the gap was another walkway across that mirrored it. Both walkways had waist high barriers to keep people from falling off the edge. The other door they needed to get to was two hundred yards down the way.

 

            “I don’t either, this doesn’t feel right,” Garrus muttered as Jane ignored both men, boldly striding down the walkway to the door. “It’s been too quiet for too long.”

 

            “Do you think we can find another way around then?” Miranda asked, glaring at Jane’s back as the female Shepard stopped and looked coldly back to them.

 

            “We all know this is the fastest way and that it is probably a trap but we don't have a choice. Are you coming or not?” Jane said flatly, and John sighed. He followed behind his sister, shaking his head. Maybe after this mission he’d just drop Miranda and Jane onto an empty planet and come back for the survivor after a few days. Miranda had found fault with Jane's presence on the Normandy since the room incident and John could see she was just making a list of problems with Jane for the post mission debriefing.

 

            John’s train of thought was cut off as gunfire erupted around them. He ducked down behind the barrier, getting a glimpse of a few dozen Blue Sun mercs across the gap on the opposite walkway. He ducked down in time just as a rocket zipped over his head, impacting the wall behind them. His shields began to beep in his ear, the warning tone indicating that they were below twenty-five percent charge.

 

            “Damn it I hate it when I’m right,” John snarled to Garrus who grunted in agreement as he slammed into the barrier on John’s right side. John looked past the Turian to see his sister ducked low by the barrier as she hustled to the door they needed to go through. She tapped on the console before shaking her head as she looked back to the group.

 

            “It’s locked. I need a few minutes to punch in an override program,” Jane called out. She dove back from the door to the barrier as several shots impacted around the door. “That is if I can avoid getting shot.”

 

            “Barrier on me,” John ordered Miranda, who nodded and placed a hand on his arm, a biotic barrier springing to life around them both. John looked over the walkway barrier. His eyes swept back and forth, taking it in as bullets slammed into the barrier weakening it quickly. He dropped back down just before the barrier fell. He scowled to himself as he whipped out his assault rifle.

 

            “I counted thirty, spread out in about five groups of six, a few feet apart from each other.” John said as he switched settings to better penetrate shields. “They must have someone with half a brain over there because they’re taking turns. I saw half of them reloading while the other half shot.”

 

            “Best thing is to pop and shoot, John,” Garrus mused. “Jane can shield herself and Miranda can shield me. We can whittle them down till it’s safer for you to prop-up with your rifle and shoot.”

 

            “Actually, if John can spare the rounds, he could slide down halfway and fire blindly over the barrier at them.” Jane suggested. “It’d distract them and give us better-” Jane was cut off by a loud crack onto of the wall above them. John looked up, recognizing the sound. It was a heavy sniper rifle, probably a Widow, meant for penetrating shields and armor in one shot. The shots started sounding out in a steady pattern. If any of the team had been able to time the shots, they would have precisely matched the exact minimum time it took to physical shoot, reload and shoot again for a single shot Widow. John looked up and could vaguely make out the barrel of a sniper rifle leaning over the wall above them, five stories up. Whoever it was, they were picking off Blue Suns with every shot. John peaked over again and noticed the mercs were all trying to hit the new sniper, but no one was getting close. The sniper was even shooting rockets that the Blue Suns aimed at him!

 

            “Go!” Jane barked, popping up to open fire. John setup on the barrier, adding his firepower to their new ally’s as did the others. The Blue Suns were in a panic, not sure who to shoot. John saw one with captain marks on his uniform trying to reorganize the mercs but their new friend took the Blue Sun captain’s head off with another precisely aimed shot. The gunfight didn’t last too long after that, as the few remaining mercs broke formation and fled out their own doors. After they had cleared out, John and the others stood and holstered their guns. As Jane went to the door to open it, John held up his right hand and waved up at their new friend.

 

            “I don’t know if you can hear me, but thank you!” John shouted up at them. The gun barrel pulled back and John saw someone moving above them.

 

            “What’s he doing?” Miranda wondered. John shrugged watching the figure move before he stepped off the edge.

 

            “Spirits above!” Garrus cried, everyone watching their new friend plummet to what they thought was his certain death. As he fell and they got a clearer look at him John felt his blood run cold.

 

            “Oh, you have to be kidding me,” Jane said in disbelief as he impacted with the walkway with a loud, metallic clang.

 

            “Jane-Spectre, John-Spectre,” the Geth replied, looking at them curiously.

 

~*TF*~

            Jane stared at the geth unit in complete shock. Its optics moved from Jane to John, the panels around the optics opening and shifting as if it was deciding on an expression. Jane felt a headache coming. That is until she saw pieces of familiar armor patching up the various areas of damage on the geth and large hole in its torso. Jane's rifle was out, but not aimed at it. Yet.

 

            “We mean you no harm, Jane-Spectre,” the geth said and Jane nearly jumped as it looked at her. It was odd to have a Geth unit so close and non-hostile...for now. “We have been trying to find an appropriate time and location to make contact with you for the past two hundred, sixty-three days.”

 

            "What?" Jane asked as she stared at the geth. Two hundred, sixty-three days a geth had been trying to make contact with her...she blinked. The sensor echo the Okinawa had picked up a couple times. Jane had the ship inspected while on a Spectre mission the second time Green reported the echo. No errors had shown up so they’d logged it as common special wake.

 

            “You’ve been following her, haven’t you?” Miranda stated with an air of superiority. “The sensor echo that we’ve been tracking, that was you wasn’t it?”

 

            “Yes. After retracing the Shepard-Spectre units’ original mission we tried to find a moment that making contact with Jane-Spectre would not result in our termination.”

 

            “Smart,” Garrus chuckled. "She does take out geth pretty fast."

 

            "Jane-Spectre has a confirmed geth termination time of five point zero three seconds," the geth said and Jane stared at it longer.

 

            “Why are you wearing my old armor?” John asked, curiosity in his voice. “And why were you trying to contact my sister?”

 

            “We were injured on Eden Prime. Repairs were needed.”

 

            "Why were you trying to contact me?" Jane asked and the geth's panels moved again. Thinking maybe?

 

            "You are Jane-Spectre, Alliance, Human. Spared the rachni. Fought heretics. Fought the Old Machine. Survived."

 

            "Old Machine? Do you mean the Reapers?" John asked and Jane's mind when into laser focus. This geth was now worth keeping alive, well, as close as it was currently to alive. 

 

            "Reaper. A superstitious title that originated with the Protheans. We call those entities the Old Machines," the geth said.

 

            "What about him?" Jane asked, flickering her eyes at John. The geth turned its optics towards him.

 

            "John-Spectre, no longer Alliance, Human. Was not marked responsible for Rachni mercy. Killed heretics. Was killed by Old Machines," the geth said and Jane blinked at that. John was killed...by Reapers.

           

            "How did you know all that?" Jane asked.  

 

            "We access the extranet. Gather files. We watch you," it said.

 

            "Watch me or organics?" Jane asked.

 

            "Yes," it said and Jane wondered if some ancient quarian had programmed the geth to be funny.

 

            "Which is it?" John asked.

 

            "Both," the geth said.

 

            "What do you mean heretics?" Garrus interjected.

 

            "Geth build our own future. The heretics ask the Old Machines to give them the future. They are no longer part of us. We were studying the Old Machines hardware to protect our future," the geth said and Jane felt the world shift for a moment. There were different groups of geth. There were different fucking groups of geth. Some geth were worshiping the Reaper tech on Ferros. Heretics. This geth was proof that the Reapers were real and the geth were actually in division about it. Holy shit.  


            "Are the Reapers a threat to you too?" John asked.

 

            "Yes," the geth said.

 

            "Why would they attack other machines?" Jane pondered, more to herself than actually asking but the geth answered her anyway.

 

            "We are different from them. Outside their plans," the geth said. “We seek to build our own future.”

 

            "What future are the geth building?" Miranda sneered and Jane shot her an unfriendly look. It was returned. Miranda was a Cerberus bitch...but she wasn't a coward. Jane could almost respect her...almost.

 

            "Ours," the geth said. Apparently a quarian programmed sass into the geth.

 

            "Will anyone else be affected by what you will be doing?" Jane asked.

 

            "If they involve themselves, they will," it said. Oh, that wasn't cryptic.

 

            "So, you aren't aligned with the Reapers?" Jane asked.

 

            "We oppose the heretics. We oppose the Old Machines," the geth said, taking a step towards Jane. The others tensed and Jane took a step towards the geth. "Jane-Spectre and John-Specter oppose the Old Machines. Jane-Spectre and John-Spectre oppose the heretics. Jane-Spectre has shown compassion to species that are not human. That are not Council. That have been enemies."

 

            "What do you mean?" John asked.

 

            "Jane-Spectre saved the Dramye. Jane-Spectre brought the Dramye to the Council. Jane-Spectre saved the Rachni," the geth said and Jane realized what it meant by approaching her. She had been willing to risk her career to spare and save the Rachni. A choice that could still bite her in the ass. She helped the Dramye rejoin the Citadel embassies as a separate group from the Hegemony. This geth approached her because she might do what she was doing now and listen to him. Damn...AIs were scary. "Cooperation furthers mutual goals."

 

            "Are you asking to join us?" John asked and Jane kept her face closed. This geth could be an invaluable piece of evidence for finally getting the Council to do something about the Reapers.

 

            “Yes,” the geth said simply and John considered it. The Geth had factions and Saren had convinced a rogue Geth faction to attack humanity. This Geth on the other hand was basically an ambassador to the peaceful Geth faction. He wanted to help them and already had. Miranda clearly wanted to hand him over to the Illusive Man and Garrus was smiling that damn smile of his. The one he gave when he knew exactly what was going to happen and was just waiting for them to realize it. Jane's face was in that damned blank expression that didn't let him know what she was thinking. John sighed and came to a decision. He stuck his hand out to the Geth, who shook it.

 

            “Glad to have you on the team. So, what do we call you?”

 

            “Geth.”

 

            “No what do we call the individual in front of us?” John clarified. The Geth stared at him for a moment, its head panels shifting.

 

            “We are all Geth. This platform currently has one thousand, one hundred eighty-three programs active within it.”

 

            “And lo when Jesus met the man, possessed by demons who, when asked what their name is, responded My name is Legion, for we are many." Jane murmured. John blinked and shot her a look. Jane flushed for a moment before her cold mask slipped back into place.

 

            “Colony settler’s condensed Christian Bible, the Gospel of Mark, chapter five, verse nine. We acknowledge this as an appropriate metaphor. We are Legion, a terminal of the Geth. We will integrate into the Shepard collective.”

 

            "We're hardly a collective," Jane muttered as she looked towards the stairs. John began to lead the way.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The group entered a lab with a dead krogan on a slab. Jane glared at the body, another poor tank bred, created and abandoned to death. Okeer was not going to be a welcomed addition to the team in her mind. Miranda gave Jane a glare. Okeer would be competing with Miranda for person most likely to be thrown out an airlock in the future.

 

            "Shepard don't shoot, you know me," a voice called and Jane looked to see an asari step out from behind a desk. Déjà vu overcame Jane for a moment before cold calculations began in her mind. "I shut down the security cams as soon as I saw it was you. Never thought I'd say it but I'm glad it's you shooting up the place. Sorry. Rana Thanoptis. You let me go when you destroyed Saren's lab on Virmire. Had to outrun the nuke in a utility pod but it's still a second chance."

 

            "I remember that," John said, giving Jane a look. Jane glared at Rana who simply smiled. There was something about that smile that Jane didn't like.

 

            "Yeah, I'm not proud of what went on there. But I'm using what we learned for the greater good. Not for the mercs. Jedore's on a standard power trip. But Okeer is trying to do something good. Even if his methods are a little extreme," Rana said, looking over at a human corpse. Jane looked at the corpse too. It was a burned skeleton. Rana had not impressed Jane. Okeer had not impressed Jane. It felt wrong. Rana felt wrong. "Everyone deserves a second chance, right? And sometimes giving one pays off. I take care of my debts."

 

            "What is Okeer trying to do?" Garrus asked. "

 

            "It's complicated," Rana said and Jane felt her bullshit meter go off. It was clear as day. "Jedore wants a private army but Okeer mostly ignores her. He's running the project for his own reasons. I created a mental imprint routine to educate his tank bred. Most don't get through it. He dumps them for some reason. He wants to help his people. But he's not looking for a genophage cure. And he's not going for numbers. That's all I know." Jane pulled her pistol and put a round into Rana's head. The asari never saw it coming and fell to the floor. Jane holstered her weapon and she wasn't shocked when John grabbed her by the shoulders and got into her face.  

 

            “You shot her, Jane! In cold fucking blood! She told us what she knew and you shot her in the face with your pistol!” he snarled into her face and Jane pushed his hands away from her shoulders with the backs of her wrists.

 

            "I did. I also gave her a chance back on Virmire to straighten up her life. Instead she is working under a merc group to program tank bred krogans," Jane said, looking at the krogan corpse on the table. "They are being left to die with her help. She got her second chance. I'm not in the business of giving thirds." She stated and looked him in the eye. They stared at each other for a moment.

 

            "We need to keep moving if we want to reach Okeer before this Jedore does," Garrus stated with a hand on John's shoulder. Garrus gave Jane a nod before he helped escort John away. Jane made sure to give Miranda a look before heading out.

 

~*TF*~

 

            As the doors slid open John took a deep breath to control his temper. Something was wrong with Jane. Fundamentally wrong. Her first instinct was to kill not take them prisoner. Had him being gone for two years really affected her that much? As John pondered what to do about his sister a deep, gravelly voice called out to them.

 

            “Here you are! I’ve watched your progress.” John followed the voice and saw a Krogan in aged, scuffed up armor working at a console next to a cloning tank with a Krogan inside. “It’s about time. The batteries on these tank will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs.”

 

            “Okeer I assume?” John noted, not the least put off by the man’s attitude. “You don’t seem like a prisoner, or grateful we’re here.”

 

            “You may claim to be here to help, but the formerly deceased Shepard arriving with his sister, the Terror of the Hegemony, is not a sign of gentle change.” Okeer growled.

 

            “And apparently that nickname is here to stay,” Jane muttered, displeased.

 

            “And you’re surprised by this?” Okeer wondered aloud, turning to face them. “All Krogan know you two. The human female who has so willingly integrated herself into our people and the man who has had several Krogan children named for him to honor his death. And of course, I’m sure Rana has already revisited your actions on Virmire.”

 

            “And now you think we’re here to do the same to you then?” John asked. Okeer laughed at that and waved a hand at them.

 

            “Ah but I approve. Saren’s pale horde were not true krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one that these mercenaries have also made.” Okeer walked to the large window in the lab and John followed. Her heard Jane curse behind him and John sucked in a breath at the sight. Dozens of cloning tanks, each holding a fully grown Krogan in armor. “I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient at her own incompetence. She is unable to control them and believes her own weakness to be some fault of mine. It is time for you take me out of here.”

 

            “Personal issues do not affect mission parameters,” Legion spoke up behind them. “Mission goal is to obtain information on the Collectors.”

 

            “Ah yes, I see. Collector attacks have increased.” Okeer mused, turning to face them again. “A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere. The Collectors did indeed give me tech for some of my rejects. I acquired the knowledge to create a pure soldier. With that, I will inflict upon the genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer. To be ignored. Unfortunately, I used it all in my prototype. This Krogan. Perfect, pure.”

 

            “Your methods are extreme but you _do_ know how to deconstruct a threat,” John said. “Will you help us?”

 

            Okeer was quiet for a few minutes.

 

            “Yes, I will go with you but my prototype is not negotiable. It is the key to my legacy. I will need passage for me and it.”

 

            As John nodded in agreement and was about to speak, the loudspeakers crackled loudly before Jedore’s voice rang out in the room and everywhere else they were installed in the complex.

 

            _“Attention! I’ve traced the Krogan release. Okeer, of course.”_ Okeer stomped back to the window and John looked out as well. They saw a woman walking along the tanks below. From the way Okeer growled at the sight of her, John knew that had to be Jedore. _“I’m calling blank slate on this project. Gas these commandoes and start over from Okeer’s data. Flush the tanks!”_

 

            Vents began to pour gas into the room and the filtration system atop of the protype’s tank began to vent as well.

 

            “She’s that weak-willed? She’ll kill my legacy with a damned valve!” Okeer snarled. “Shepard? You want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She’ll try to access contaminants in the storage bay.”

 

“You could just start over, like she plans to. What’s the big deal?” Jane asked, her tone betraying a dislike of the krogan doctor.

 

“This tank is pure. It involved much trial as data. Starting over will not duplicate it. It must survive. Jedore will be with the reject tanks. Kill her. I will…stay, and do what must be done.” John frowned at that and turned to Legion.

 

            “Can you help him?” John asked. Legion looked at him, its head plates shifting.

 

            “Yes, John-Spectre,” Legion replied. “We are capable of accessing terminals and computer systems faster than most organics by a factor of three.”

 

            “Then help him and we’ll deal with Jedore.” John ordered, before turning for the door at the opposite end. He sprinted for it. Pulling his rifle out as he did. He was vaguely aware of Jane, Garrus, and Miranda following him. He headed out the door and ran down the stairs for the door to the tank storage room. He heard her screaming at her men as they ran through.

 

            “Oh this woman just needs to go away,” Miranda muttered as they opened fire. Jedore dove to cover and shortly after all of the tanks opened, releasing all of the Krogan inside. As if that wasn’t bad enough John saw a YMIR mech unfold from a corner and begin opening fire.

 

            “Why does everyone try to kill us?” Garrus demanded as they all took cover. “Why doesn’t anyone ever run away?”

 

            "Garrus, a lift," Jane called and Garrus turned and went to a knee.

 

            "I'm not a springboard, Shepard," he stated as Jane ran at him, using his knee and shoulder to throw herself up. She caught one of the support beams above and tucked herself into the machinery for moving the tanks. She pulled her sniper and got into position.

 

            "This whole Cerberus mission has been a bit of a challenge," Jane stated.  “Mostly because of John.”

 

            “How is it my fault?” John demanded, opening fire from behind one of the tanks and shooting a Krogan in the knees as it charged up the ramps towards them. “I’ve been unconscious for two years!”

 

            “Half of these mercenaries are terrified of her,” Miranda called out, catching another Krogan in a biotic field and throwing it into the YMIR mech, sending it back a few feet before it smashed the Krogan to the ground and stomped on it. “She has a very widely known reputation for wiping out bases and people. Of course they’d want revenge. Taking her with us will cause more harm than good.”

 

            "Oh...I have been known to miss a mercenary or terrorist every now and then...you would know about that," Jane retorted.

 

            “Less cat-fight, more gun fire!” Garrus called out, shooting another Blue Suns merc. Then ducked a rocket shot from the YMIR mech.

 

            “If you two keep this up, I’m going to handcuff you together!” John shouted, holstering his assault rifle when he ran out of rounds. He yanked out his shot gun and jammed the barrel into the face of a charging Krogan, taking their head clean off as he pulled the trigger. “It’s not like we’re fighting for our lives!”

 

            "We are not having a cat fight," Miranda snapped at Garrus.

 

            "Go ahead," Jane called down to John. "It wouldn't be much of a fight."

  
            "I'd like to see you try," Miranda sneered before orange blood splattered against her face. The krogan that had been coming up behind her dropped from the shot through its eyes.

 

            "Try to pay attention to the fight, XO Lawson," Jane chided as she slapped in a new clip.

 

            “And you as well Spectre,” Miranda retorted in a cold tone as she wiped the blood off her face with the back of her hand. Her eyes promised revenge.

 

            “There!” John shouted, seeing a gap on the right, just below the observation window. “Garrus cover me!”

 

            “I’ve got you, John!” Garrus called. John broke cover, running down the ramp and making for the opposite side. She shot by the YMIR mech, just as it turned towards him. Just before it could aim, Garrus took its head off with a clean shot. John kept running, ignoring the beeping behind him. He turned and ran straight at Jedore who was finally all alone. Her attention was focused solely on Jane and Miranda who were opening fire on her. Just as the explosion from the YMIR mech was dying down she heard John storming at her from the left and turned to him, her eyes wide. She raised her gun to fire but John didn’t even slow down. He tackled the woman, crashing them both into the crate behind her. They went tumbling over, slamming into the ground in the middle of the room. John slid away from her and got to his feet, but she was raising her gun at him. The woman was grinning triumphantly at him.

 

            “I got you now you son of a-” Jedore was cut off as Jane’s sniper round caught her in the temple. The Blue Suns’ leader fell to a crumpled heap.

 

            “I can’t believe that worked,” Garrus mused and John shot the others a grin. Miranda was smiling at him with proud look and Jane was giving John a look. While her face was blank, her eyes held stress around the edges. She had been worried. Jane wondered absently if he had felt that way when she raced ahead of the group. She couldn't let herself believe it was him though. It couldn't be John...but it could be if he did stupid shit like that. Of course...she had taken up doing stupid shit herself. She dropped from the ceiling and Garrus gave her a head nod.

 

            _“John-Spectre. Okeer-Warlord has vented all toxins into our room to save Krogan-Prototype. Please make haste. We have vented the toxins but Okeer-Warlord will soon expire.”_ Legion called to inform them over the comms. John swore and again stormed for the lab. As they hurried into the room they found Okeer laying on the ground by the prototype tank. Legion stood by, staring at the warlord with all his head panels extended.

 

            “Okeer-Warlord as only minutes left. The aforementioned toxins were designed to overload Krogan nervous systems,” Legion informed them as John knelt by the warlord. Before he could even speak to Okeer the man’s hands shot out and gripped John’s upper arms.

 

            “You gave me time, Shepard. If I knew what the Collectors wanted with humans I would tell you,” Okeer rasped. “But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure.” Okeer drew in a raspy breath, his arms going weak and his hands fell away. “This…one soldier…this grunt…perfect.” John watched the warlord slump back. “Let…it…walk…pure…perfect.” Okeer let out one last raspy breath and became still. John sighed and reached out, closing the man’s eyes before he stood.

 

            “A man that fanatical about his race died for this one Krogan,” Miranda mused.

 

            “Makes you wonder just what he created, doesn’t it Jane?” Garrus said to Jane. She stood at the base of the tank and made a hum. John eyed the tank for a moment before coming to a decision. He clicked on his comms to the Normandy.

 

            “Normandy? Okeer is a no-go. But we have a package that needs retrieval. And he’s a big one.”

 

~*TF*~

            "Bringing the krogan for study makes sense, but I have concerns about waking it," Miranda said as the group met in the conference room. Jane rested against a wall while Mordin examined Garrus' facial patches.

 

            "Yeah, you've said that a few times now," Jacob sighed in a tone that told Jane Jacob had worked with Miranda before. How close were those two?

 

            "A normal krogan is dangerous. This one was created and likely educated by a madman," she said, giving John a look.

 

            "There's no way he's getting out unless one of us lets him out," John said.

 

            "Or unless Okeer installed some sort of failsafe. Or a malfunction causes the tank to shut down," Miranda complained. "I also think we need to discuss the unique piece of salvage we recovered."

 

            "Legion is not salvage," Jane stated from her position on the wall.

 

            "It is sweet that you've named it, but we need better equipment to fight the Reapers. An intact geth would be invaluable to Cerberus' cyber-weapons division," Miranda stated and Jane felt the urge to punch the woman in the face. No way was she wasting an opportunity to gain proof to shove down the Council's throats about the Reapers to Cerberus.

 

            "We'll have to disagree on that, ma'am," Jacob said and Jane blinked. "I saw enough of these things on Eden Prime. Space it."

 

            "Cerberus has a long-standing cash bounty for an intact geth. I assure you, the reward is significant," Miranda said to John and Jane looked at him.

 

            "Legion wants cooperation between organics, us, and the geth," Jane reminded them. John mulled it over before looking up and he met Jane's eyes.

 

            "Legion helped us, he followed orders, and he’s staying. EDI will set up the appropriate safe guards and firewalls concerning Legion’s access to the ship," John said. Jane looked away as she considered the implications Legion brought for the Council and the Reapers...and a possible peace accord between the quarians and the geth that did not worship the Old Machines. She was getting a head of herself, but if they could work together on this...maybe...Jane shook her head. Sufficient upon the day are the evils there within. Of course John had other ideas.

 

            "I'm going to wake our new friend in the tank," John said as a holo of the tank floated in the center of table as he left the room. Jane sighed and followed him.

 

~*TF*~

           

            “You’re not doing this alone,” Jane said as she crossed her arms under her breasts and leaned against the window. John paused, only one digit away from entering the release code.

 

            “Better I do it myself rather than risk any of the crew,” John countered, turning to his sister who rolled her eyes.

 

            “And I have been dealing with the krogan for years now. He might actually list to me.” Jane replied and John gave her a look.

 

            “If a new born Krogan cares about that.” John snarked, keying in the last number and unlocking the pod. He stepped back as the tank drained before opening the doors. The Krogan fell to his hands and knees, letting out deep coughs, retching up the fluid in his lungs. John let the Krogan get to his feet and stepped forward. After a moment the Krogan narrowed his eyes at John before letting out a roar. He charged at John, slamming into him and then slamming him into the containers along the wall opposite the window. John lost track of Jane as the Krogan pinned him there with one arm. John grabbed the arm with his left hand and snatched his sidearm from his thigh and aimed it at the Krogan’s middle.

 

            “Human. Male.” The Krogan growled. John paused, easing his finger off the trigger. “Before you die, I need a name.”

 

            “I’m John Shepard of the Normandy,” John replied. The Krogan shook his head.

 

            “Not your name. Mine. I am trained. I know things, but the tank…Okeer couldn’t implant connection. His words are hollow.” The Krogan mused. John was a bit surprised at that. “Warlord, legacy, grunt…grunt. “Grunt” was among the last. It has no meaning. It’ll do. I am Grunt. If you are worthy of your command, prove your strength and try to destroy me.”

 

            "He is worthy," Jane said from behind Grunt. From the way his eyes moved, John suspected that he couldn't see Jane.

 

            “Easy Jane, I’ve got this.” John replied, never taking his eyes off Grunt. John heard nothing but when Grunt's eyes focused back on him it told him that Jane had backed off. He directed his next question to Grunt. “Why do you want me to kill you?”

 

            “Want? I do what I am meant to, fight and reveal the strongest. Nothing in the tank ever asked what _I_ want. I feel nothing for Okeer’s clan or his enemies. That imprint failed. He has failed. Without a reason that’s mine, one fight is as good as any other. Might as well start with you.” Grunt growled.

 

            “I have a good ship and a strong crew. You’d make it stronger. Join us and I’ll help you find a reason,” John offered. Grunt appeared to mull this over.

 

            “If you’re weak and choose weak enemies, I’ll have to kill you.” Grunt countered and John almost laughed at that.

 

            “Our enemies are worthy. No doubt about that,” John replied. Grunt let out a humph.

 

            “That’s…acceptable. I’ll fight for you,” Grunt said.

 

            “I’m glad you saw reason,” John said and poked Grunt slightly with the barrel of his pistol. Grunt let out a startled sound and looked down.

 

            “Ha! Offer one hand but arm the other. Wise, Shepard. If I find a clan, if I find what I-I want, I will be honored to eventually pit them against you,” Grunt replied nodding his head to John before stomping away. As Grunt moved away, Jane was revealed by the window, she was standing with her arms behind her back.

 

"What did you have in your hands when you stood in my blind spot?" Grunt barked at her and Jane pulled her hands forward to reveal the blades she had used to kill Dirake or two just like them. "Do you know how to use them?"

 

            "Your dome would rot where it fell," Jane replied and Grunt laughed.

 

            "This one is strong, I would like to fight her," he said to John.

 

            "Anytime in PT," Jane stated as she turned and headed for the door. John didn't see the sheaths for the knives.

 

            “Alright Grunt, let’s get you setup down here,” John began. “What do you need?”

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Knock knock," Garrus said at Jane's door and she blinked as she opened it. He looked at her. "Need to talk?"

 

            "Isn't that usually the Commander's job?" Jane asked and Garrus gave her a look.

 

            "I like what you've done with the place," he said as he looked over Jane's room. Weapons were hanging from the walls, a single computer was on the floor. A utility hammock was hanging with the aid of specialty magnets. Blasto was chewing on a massive bone. "Really minimalist. I like it."

 

            "Funny turian," Jane said as she returned to a spot on the floor and began to look something up on the computer. "What did you want to talk about?"

 

            "Oh, nothing much. Wanted to see what you were using for your rifle. How the cooking has been. What made you run off and leave the rest of the team behind. Nothing important," Garrus said and Jane blinked before rolling her eyes up to the standing turian. His mandibles moved in a grin. Jane sighed. "Ow my face. Oh it hurts so bad!" Garrus said jokingly.

 

            "Watch it, Vakarian," Jane scolded, a grin tugging at her lips. She sighed. "I'm sorry I ran off."

 

            "What was that? I didn't quite hear?" he said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "I'm looking at the good ear...for now," she said and he chuckled. "I do owe you an explanation." She leaned back and looked at Garrus a moment. "Over the last year, I've really stopped being a team player. I know that. I owe it to you to try to be better."

 

            "Not just me," Garrus said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "I can't believe it is him yet, Garrus," Jane said and the turian looked at her.

 

            "Do you really still doubt it?" he asked.

 

            "Yes...but I want to believe," Jane said and Garrus looked at her.

 

            "How much will he have to do to earn your loyalty?" Garrus asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I don't know...I just know...I will work on being a better team player for you, Garrus," Jane said and Garrus grinned.

           

            "I always knew you had a soft spot for me, Shepard. You human women always have a weakness for dashing turian men," he teased and Jane chuckled.

 

            "It's called anaphylactic shock and turians get it too," Jane said. "But don't bother trying to use that on me. I'm dextro-immune so you're the one who needs to watch out for me."

 

            "Damn double edged swords," Garrus chuckled.

 

            "We okay?" Jane asked and Garrus nodded.

 

            "We're good," Garrus said. "No more running off without me. Miranda scares me." He exited the room and Jane shook her head. She quietly thanked whatever gods, human, turian, asari, krogan, whatever, that had kept Garrus alive. 

~*TF*~

 

 

 

OMAKE 1:

 

            "So...you done with that tank?" Jane asked and John blinked.

 

            "Yeah, what did you want it for?" he asked as Jane began to drag it away with biotics.

 

            "Don't worry about it.

 

One Eternity Later

 

            "Remarkable. Had no idea you were a DNA engineer as well," Mordin commented as he stared at the contents of the tank.

 

            "Just a hobby," Jane stated as she smiled in maternal pride.

 

            "Shepard...when we spent the night...I was curious why you wanted me to put the condom in an empty trash instead of flushing it," Garrus commented. "I didn't realize you were serious about the turian-human hybrid."

 

            "So...I'm gonna be an uncle?" John asked, feeling officially creeped out by the whole situation.

 

            "What's growing out of its head?" Joker asked.

 

            "Oh, I dropped one of my blades in there. I figured, now it has a weapon all the time...like a murderous unicorn," Jane commented.

 

            "Yay! Grunt has a little brother!" Grunt cried and Jane smiled.

           

            "You'll be the best big brother, yes you will, who's my sweet Grunt boy?" Jane asked and Grunt smiled and kicked at the ground before pointing at himself.

 

            "Well, this is a whole new level of fucked up," Joker muttered as he hobbled away.

 

            "Kaidan will not take this well," John sighed as he looked at his monstrous nephew.  

 

 

This omake is inspire by this piece of fanart: https://artofdawn.deviantart.com/art/Mutant-Babies-Garrus-2-160800133

 

It has made me laugh more times than I care to admit.

 

 

OMAKE 2:

 

            “So what else can your frame do Legion?” John asked curiously. The aforementioned Geth was busy conducting maintenance on a knee joint. He didn’t even both looking at John as he answered.

 

            “We can function in zero gravity, in vacuums or poisonous environments depending on the hazards for a limited time of two point seven hours, download sixty-two teraquads of data a minute, scan data signals, and-” Legion seemed to pause, before his head petals extended to max. He looked up. “John-Spectre, would you also please inform Kelly Chambers-Yeoman that we in no way are planning a hostile takeover of the Normandy. She is currently writing a fearful e-mail to an old college acquaintance. She is worried about a low budget film she participated in college coming true due our presence on the ship. We have subsequently downloaded and viewed the film in the past four point six seconds. It does not accurately portray our intentions towards organics. Geth are not currently equipped to oscillate nor vibrate. We also do not have the means to use the females of any species nor Asari to created Geth with their bodies.”

 

            John stared at the Geth as it resumed making repairs to its damaged knee, his mind was trying to process several things. That Legion read their e-mails as they wrote them (he so had to make rules against that), Geth were customizable and Kelly had apparently-

 

            “EDI please tell me that movie isn’t what I think it is.”

 

            “The movie Legion mentioned is a low grade amateur pornography called _Geth Breeding Factory_. Records indicate Miss. Chambers only appears in this single adult film and that she was homeless for a month before the filming of this movie due to her college roomate’s theft of her checking account. Would you like to view this movie, Shepard?”

 

            “No, no I think not.” John replied, determined not to give into that temptation just yet. He’d run across several porn parodies of his and Jane’s adventures as he’d looked on the extranet for records of what his baby sister had been up to for the past two years. He’d resolved never to watch anything of that nature about him or his crew, especially if said crew actually participated in making them. _Ever._ John paused. “And make sure Joker doesn’t find out about it either.”

 

            “Legion obtained the movie from Mr. Moreau’s personal files. Shall I purge the file from his database?”

 

            John pinched the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes and sighed.

 

~*TF*~

 

OMAKE 3

 

            John looking in Jane's room.

 

            "Wait...a hammock?" he said and Jane glared.

 

            "Get out of my room," she warned.

 

            "I thought you took Miranda's bed," John said.

 

            "Hell no, I don't want to catch Cerberus herpes," Jane sneered. "Now get out of my room."

 

            "Fine!" John huffed as he turned around. As the door closed John wondered. "What did happen to Miranda's bed?"

 

In the forward battery.

 

            "This is like sleeping on a cloud," Garrus sighed from the mattress folded in a U-shape in the walkway along the plasma cannons.

 

~*TF*~

 

OMAKE 4

 

Toby: Cause some one actually asked for this! I may actually make this a thing. And now the continuing adventures of Vegeta-John!

 

            “If a new born Krogan cares about that.” John snarked, keying in the last number and unlocking the pod. He stepped back as the tank drained before opening the doors. The Krogan fell to his hands and knees, letting out deep coughs, retching up the fluid in his lungs. John let the Krogan get to his feet and stepped forward. After a moment the Krogan narrowed his eyes at John before letting out a roar. He charged at John, slamming into him and then slamming him into the containers along the wall opposite the window. John lost track of Jane as the Krogan pinned him there with one arm.

 

            “Human. Male.” The Krogan growled. John paused, easing his finger off the trigger. “Before you die, I need a name.”

 

            “I’m John Shepard of the Normandy,” John replied and then he head butted the Krogan. The Krogan reared back and roared head butting John in retaliation. John’s head rocked back and then he slowly brought it back with a maniacal grin.

 

            “Thank you sir, may I have a another.” He drawled.

 

            “What the hell happened to you? You weren’t able to do that before!” Jane demanded from behind them.

 

            “Well it looks like you have some reading to do,” John drawled tossing the Official Shepard Rebuilt handbook to Jane. The Krogan looked amused at this byplay as Jane grumbled and flipped through the book.

 

            “Okay let’s see…” Jane mumbled, “cybnertic upgrades…heavy bone weave is 50% less melee damage…heavy muscle weave is 25% more melee damage…heavy skin weave is 10% more health…”

 

            “…well…” the Krogan drawled. “I’m right fucked aren’t I?”

 

            “Right in the down under,” John snarked before kicking the Krogan right in the testicles, making him let out a bellow and drop John to clutch at himself. He heard a scrapping of metal and looked up to see John hefting a large wrench. “Clever girl.”

 

            The wrench impacted the Krogan’s crest with a loud crunch.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby Note: That’s right, Legion is here folks! Since one Shepard was alive he was trying to contact her. Which means he took the first available opportunity for contact. Told you, shift from canon was gonna start slow and gain speed. Well the snowball was just pushed down the hill.
> 
> Belle Note: I am a HUGE Bioware Store fan and whenever I have a few extra bucks, they end up there. I also, loathe the colonist outfit because it looks dull. I always hate how Bioware has all these amazing casual outfits, but never lets you put them on your character. In game I usually put my Shepard in the Science Uniform or the dress Kasumi gives you (yes, there is just something hilarious about the conversations with Garrus in that outfit), so I decided to give my Shepard a different casual outfit. This outfit is based on products you can actually buy from the Bioware Store. 
> 
> Jane's shirt = https://www.biowarestore.com/apparel/womens/t-shirts/ladies-n7-armour-stripe-black-tee
> 
> Jane's pants = https://www.biowarestore.com/apparel/ladies-n7-athletic-pants


	15. But You're Still With Me in My Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jane and John work together to get Jack onto the team. Maybe Jane has found a new BFF in Subject Zero. A quick detour is required to Donovan Hock's private party and Mr. Gunn and Ms. Berger make a societal splash before leaving with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Belle's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Jack and Kasumi. Jack is one of the companions I hated when I first recruited her. I was totally disappointed because I thought it sucked that I was stuck with Miranda AND Jack. Then I got to know Jack. Jack is by far one of my favorites, while she cannot compare to Garrus and Tali who are the best companions a girl could ask for, Jack has her own charm. I love redemption stories and helping Jack regain her humanity is one of my favorite parts of Mass Effect. I adore her in ME3 and I was super depressed about not being able to have Jack join the Normandy again. Kasumi is also one of the characters I adore. She is sassy, light hearted, and just funny. I loved Kasumi from the moment I met her on the Citadel and then her story broke my heart. Kasumi embodies bittersweet love, the truth of her and Keiji make it so I can never ask her to do what I know would be safest for her. I love both of these characters because they were so masterfully crafted. Kasumi makes you think her world is all right and fine, while Jack makes you think that she doesn't fucking need you. I also did additional research on both the characters so facts mentioned in this chapter are completely based on their cannon. 
> 
> Toby’s Note: *cues applause track at the end and watches Belle take a bow after her heart felt thoughts*

Chapter 14: But You're Still With Me in My Dreams

 

Earth Date: January 22th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, In Transit to Osun

 

            There was a knock at the door and Jane paused. She flipped on EDI's switch.

 

            "Yes, Spectre Shepard?" EDI asked. The AI had learned Jane would turn to her for questions when she turned on the holographic interface in her room.

 

            "Who is at my door?" Jane asked.

 

            "It is Vakarian," EDI said.

 

            "Thank you, EDI," Jane said. "Door, Blasto." The varren happily went to the door and pressed his muzzle against the panel. "Best command I invested in training you on."

 

            "You couldn't be bothered to get up?" Garrus asked and Jane ignored him.

 

            "I'm getting intel on the Purgatory from one of Chirum Leolor's contacts," Jane said and Garrus raised his eyebrows.

           

            "Do you need privacy?" he asked and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "I wouldn't have let you in if I didn't think it would be fine," Jane said.

 

            "Who's that?" the turian on screen asked.

 

            "Turian on the mission with me. Garrus Vakarian, former C-Sec," Jane said, leaving off the vigilante title.

 

            "Castis' boy?" the turian asked and Garrus rolled his eyes as he moved to squat next to where Jane was sitting on the floor.

 

            "Yes," Garrus said before his eyes widened. "Primarch Fedorian, sir!" Jane fought a smirk.

 

            "No need for the formalities, this is an unofficial call anyway," Fedorian said.

 

            "Thank you for speaking with me again," Jane said and Fedorian shook his head.

 

            "The Hierarchy owes you personally after that incident in Mactare," Fedorian said.

 

            "The Hierarchy owes me nothing, the humans and the turians are the two most similar council races when it comes to those situations. Your people would have done the same," Jane said and the Primarch shook his head.

 

            "However, you did it alone," he said. "Enough pleasantries. You want to know about Purgatory and I will tell you all I know."

 

            "I'm sure you already know that it calls itself a maximum security prison, but it is hardly so official," he said with a sneer. "It is a mercenary run slave ship slash torture chamber."

 

            "The Blue Suns own it," Jane said and Fedorian nodded.

 

            "Oh they own it, but they managed to turn what should have been a Spectre task force target into a publicity dream," he huffed.

 

            "What does that mean?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Officially the Purgatory serves as a prison for criminals so heinous and evil that no government wants to deal with them. So they charge the governments a standard protection fee to keep the criminals on board," Jane said.

 

            "It is extortion. If the governments don't pay, the criminals are released in major metropolitan areas...often armed and armored," Fedorian growled and Garrus looked pissed. "The current warden is a turian bareface by the name of Tatasciore Kuril." Garrus looked more pissed.

 

            "Depending how you look at it, the good or bad news is, the Hierarchy rarely pays for prisoners, but some of the turian colonies will," Jane said.

 

            "The main systems stand by the refusal to deal with terrorists, but the colonies cannot afford some of the true scum of our race to be loose on their planets," Fedorian sighed. "Kuril is one of the most worthless and selfish turians I have ever spoken to. He has attempted seventeen times to extort from the Hierarchy since I have been in office. We have given him nothing and taken out the Blue Sun squads delivering the criminal to our worlds each time...thanks to Spectres like your friend, Shepard." Jane shook her head.

 

            "I didn't intend to take out any of the Purgatory thugs," she said and he chuckled.

 

            "Still, the reports we have gotten from spies, defectors, and survivors have all been vile. Massive abuse of prisoners by guards and one another. Female prisoners are always raped, many to death," Fedorian said and Jane worried about Jack. The biotic was a female and had been on the Purgatory for over a year now. A powerful biotic with a history of sexual abuse could not be good. "The guards don't do much to break up fights, if anything, they often encourage it, except for prisoners who are worth money."

 

            "That's the slave aspect," Garrus growled and the Primarch nodded.

 

            "Many prisoners are sold, often to wealthy people who want to get revenge for crimes committed. Sometimes families will ban together and pool money to get that revenge. Other times, the prisoners piss off the guards and are sold to the Batarians. It is ugly, I have petitioned Sparatus four times to have a Spectre task force dedicated to ending Purgatory," Fedorian sighed.

 

            "You would think Sparatus would be for that," Jane muttered.

           

            "He is, but Valern and Tevos vote the idea down, too much interference," he sighed.

 

            "See about talking to both Sparatus and Anderson," Jane said. "The population on Purgatory is becoming human heavy, Anderson may help sway the vote."

 

            "You're not supposed to talk politics, Spectre," Fedorian said.

 

            "This is just a friendly conversation between acquaintances," Jane replied and the Primarch nodded.

 

            "If you get a chance, blow that disgrace up," he said and Jane smirked.

 

            "If they give me a reason, I'll make a flash of light in the darkness of space when I leave," she said.

 

            "Good soldier," Fedorian said before the comm cut.

 

            "The Shadow Broker would kill for that video," Garrus stated.

 

            "I mean it, Garrus, if that Kuril gives me a reason, I will destroy that ship as we leave," Jane growled and Garrus nodded.

 

            "What are you thinking about?" he asked.

 

            "This Jack we are picking up. She's a female. They have a 100% sexual assault rate on the Purgatory. I have no doubt she's been raped by now," Jane said and Garrus looked uncomfortable. "We need to inform John about this. Jack might be a bit unstable."

 

            "An unstable biotic on a ship...I'd say it was scary but I've flown with you for a while," Garrus said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "I don't particularly care for your attitude change after taking that rocket to the face," Jane said.

 

            "You just don't like that your biotics don't scare me anymore," Garrus said, offering a hand. Jane took it and he helped her from the floor.

 

            "Jack's might," Jane said.

 

            "Jack's better than you?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Every survivor of Jack's biotics has said she is the most powerful human biotic they have ever met," Jane said as they headed out.

 

            "Have they met you?" Garrus asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "Flattery will get you nowhere," Jane replied.

 

            "I'm just saying, you do have a fancy new L5 implant. Does Jack have one of those?" Garrus asked as they headed up to find John.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Our collective has intercepted a message from the Dholen System. It has drawn our attention as that system is under control of the Heretic Collective. The message is badly degraded and encrypted with two cyphers. Due to its location and fragmentation our collective has designated it as background priority.” Legion informed John as the Spectre read the data pad Legion had brought him. That brought his attention back to the Geth.

 

            “Well why do-” John was cut off as the door to his quarters chimed, indicating someone wanted entry. “EDI open the doors please.” The door lock shifted to green moments before the doors to his quarters opened, letting Jane and Garrus walk in. “I’ll be with you two in a minute. Now tell me why you’re bringing a fragmented message Legion if your own people have dismissed it as unimportant.”

 

            “Correction, we have labeled it as a background priority. However, it may be a higher priority to John-Spectre due to one of the few words intact and not encrypted being John-Spectre’s name.” Legion stated.

 

            “What’s this about?” Jane asked, shooting them a look that told John she clearly wanted to know about this. John sighed, exasperated. Great, he had to handle this carefully or Jane was going to think he was hiding something from her.

 

            “Legion just brought me a degraded and encrypted message his people received from the Dholen System. Apparently it’s controlled by the Heretic Geth and what they have been able to unencrypt mentions me by name.” John explained offering her the data pad. Jane blinked and took the data pad from her brother.

 

            “I heard that last part.” Jane stated and John rolled his eyes. “Why haven’t you already broken the encryption and restored what you can?”

 

            “Our collective has this scheduled for decryption late next month with routine messages. We routinely receive eight trillion teraquads of data monthly from all of our sensors and monitoring programs. Items such as this are labeled low priority.” Legion explained. John couldn’t help but grin a bit at this. It sounded to him as if Legion was bit defensive.

 

            “Eight _trillion_ teraquads?” Garrus exclaimed, surprised. “Where do you get it all from?”

 

            “Approximately six trillion teraquads are received from the extranet when we download it.” Legion explained. All of the organics seemed to blink and looked at Legion in unison.

 

            “You download the _entire_ extranet? _Monthly_?” Jane said in a mix of shock and awe. The Geth said nothing for a moment, only the panels on his head shifting a bit.

 

            “Yes.” Legion said simply. John snickered while Jane rolled her eyes.

 

            “This explains so much.” Jane muttered and Garrus just laughed.

 

            “Just give it to EDI for now, Legion,” John replied as Jane tossed the data pad onto the coffee table in the middle of the room. “She’ll do what she can with it during slow times.”

 

            “I have already downloaded the aforementioned message John,” EDI spoke up from her hologram. “The cyphers appear to be new creations. I will dedicate a subroutine to run at all times to try and complete a codex to crack the cypher. This will take some time unless you wish me to dedicate myself to it completely?”

 

            “No that’s alright.” John replied before focusing on the sole Geth platform in the room. “Anything else?”

 

            “Not at this time, John-Spectre. Unless our presence is needed we shall retire to the server room to begin a routine maintenance cycle,” Legion replied, his head panels shifting a bit. John shot a look at Jane who just shook her head.

 

            “Thanks Legion, we’ll talk later.” John stated and the Geth nodded his head before swiftly turning and walking out. As the doors closed behind the platform John waved a hand at the desk next to the couch where a coffee machine rested. “Coffee? I’ve got a dozen or so dextro instant cups too.”

 

            “Didn’t there used to be a computer there?” Jane asked in curiosity as Garrus went to make himself a cup.

 

            “Already have one up there by the bathroom entrance. What do I need a second one ten feet away for?” John replied and Jane shrugged.

 

            “So, John, we came to talk to you about Jack,” Garrus replied. John moved to sit on the couch and Jane took the seat on the other leg of the couch. John said nothing but took his own coffee from the table to take a sip.

 

            “We have concerns with a biotic of her caliber and history being turned loose on the ship,” Jane explained. “She has a history of extreme violence and with the conditions on Purgatory she’s more than likely going to be on a hair trigger.”

 

            “I’m not too worried about what she can do on the ship,” John commented drawing a frown from Jane at his nonchalance about it. “From the dossier besides the violence and biotic power she’s shown intelligence. She’s no hacker but I’m sure she realizes how bad it would be for her to rip things off the ship she’s on.”

 

            “John she’s a powerful, psychologically damaged and unstable biotic,” Garrus retorted, “We need to make sure she can’t do any lasting damage until we find out just how emotional she is.”

 

            “And the dossier doesn’t tell us that,” John said, picking up a separate data pad on the desk as he set his coffee down. “Nowhere in here does it give us a completely psychological work up. All of this is second hand information. What she’s done and how she acted. All of it shows me a person who has been running and fighting all her life. Now we’re going to pick up a harden criminal who has most likely been beaten, raped and God only knows what else.”

 

            “You know about Purgatory?” Jane asked, her voice spoke of approval. John grinned smugly at her.

 

            “I can still read. When I learned about where we were picking up Jack I did some research. Around those filters you were harping about before Korlus.” John added that last bit as Jane’s face closed up, she was hiding her thoughts now. “Give me a little credit Jane. I may have had new eyes implanted but I still know a snow job when I see one. Of course, Cerberus would censor the data I get. Why wouldn’t they, they want to keep their pet Shepard on a leash. Thanks for telling EDI you were removing the cameras and mics from your room. One less room I had to have Mordin remove them from.”

 

            Jane stared and simply crossed her arms before shooting Garrus a dirty look when he let out a bark of laughter.

 

            “I haven’t seen you pout since the SR1,” the Turian commented. Jane glared at him.

 

            “I’m not pouting,” she said.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 23rd, 2186 CE

Location: Purgatory, Osun

 

            “Excuse me but what is going on?” John commented as he approached the airlock behind Joker. He found his sister with Garrus and Jacob armed to the teeth. While he wasn’t surprised with their weapons he was surprised that the damn varren of hers was panting by her side. It was also wearing tactical vest with packs near its haunch. Jane was crouched in front of the alien mutt, tightening the harness and checking it over. She looked up at John with an exasperated expression.

 

            “What does it look like? I’m getting Blasto ready.” She stated and John sighed.

 

            “Jane this is literally a purchasing mission. You’re not bringing a varren onboard with space version of canine body armor.” John stated. “I want this go smoothly, not make them think we’re going to take the station by force.”

 

            “Sure.” Jane said, and snapped her fingers at Blasto. The varren became still, watching his mistress intently as John blinked in surprise. “Bed Blasto.” The varren huffed, in annoyance and in a tone very similar to Jane’s own huff of annoyance John thought, and turned around before padding off to head for Jane’s quarters. Jane herself turned and headed for the airlock of the Normandy finished docking.

 

            “I can’t believe she agreed,” John muttered to Garrus as they followed, with Jacob bringing up the rear.

 

            “Wait five minutes, she’ll make you regret that decision.”

 

            “Doesn’t she always?”

 

~*TF*~

 

            The group boarded the Purgatory, walking down the main entrance the group could see a group of three Blue Suns waiting for them. John led the group with Garrus just behind him; Jane to his right and Jacob taking up the rear.

 

            "Welcome to the Purgatory, Shepards," the turian guard to the front said. "Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly. As this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed." Garrus hid a chuckle behind a cough and John ignored it.

 

            "We can't do that," he said and for a moment the team prepped for the reaction from the guards. Instead a barefaced turian appeared from the ship. Jane recognized him from the files that she had acquired from the Spectre records. Kuril...the "warden." 

 

            "Everyone stand down. Commander, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Your weapons will be returned on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard procedure," he said and Jacob flicked his eyes to John.

           

            "It's my standard procedure to keep my gun," John stated calmly. Kuril looked past John at Jane.

 

            "Spectre Shepard has a bad reputation with mercenary groups," Kuril stated.

 

            "To be fair, she's not the only one," Garrus commented with a straight face. Jane fought a smirk.

 

            "I left my varren behind as a sign of good faith," she commented. John restrained a snort at that as Kuril stared at her for a moment.

 

            "Let them proceed. Our facility is more than secure enough to handle four armed guests," Kuril said as he looked over the four. He looked suspicious, but nothing they couldn't handle. "We're bringing Jack out of cryo. As soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to Outprocessing for the pickup, Commander."

 

            "Let's go," John said as they entered the Purgatory. The hallway allowed them to see the interior of the ship. It was clear it was an animal transport ship that was retrofitted to make it into a prison. Kuril looked proud as he turned to look over the area below.

 

            "Cellblock Two. As you can see, we keep tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self-contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example," Kuril stated, his eyes moved to meet John's and then Jane's. It was clear he saw the two of them as the greater threat than Garrus or Jacob. Jane felt pity for the spaced convicts for a second but then remembered some of the crimes she had seen on prisoners the Specters had confirmed were on Purgatory. They were the scum of the galaxy and spacing was probably more merciful compared to some of their crimes. "The ship is made up of 30 cell blocks identical to this one. We house thousands of criminals. We can put the whole place in lockdown on a moment's notice. Nothing goes wrong here."

 

            "Bold claims," Jane stated, she wondered just how strong the Blue Suns' security actually was on Purgatory.

 

            "We know the caliber of criminals we hold and we know the importance of proper security measures," he said. Jane simply looked out over the cell block and wondered how great a loss blowing up the Purgatory would be.

 

            "Can you give me your opinion on Jack?" John asked pulling Kuril's attention from Jane.

 

            "Cerberus hasn't told you?" he asked.

 

            "I know about what she's done, but you've met her. What's your take on her?" John asked and Kuril actually looked concerned. Kuril didn't think much of John and Jane, but feared Jack...curious.

 

            "Jack is the meanest handful of violence and hate I've ever encountered," Kuril said and Jane blinked. She had seen the quality of prisoner on the Purgatory...that's was quite the accomplishment. "Dangerous, crazy, and very powerful. You'll see soon enough."

 

            "How did you end up running this ship?" John asked, a good question that Jane wanted answered.

 

            "I was in law enforcement on Palaven, and got sick of seeing criminals escape out into the galaxy to carry on with their crimes," Kuril said. Jane elbowed Garrus in the side and he snorted and looked away. She wondered why Kuril didn't wear the Palaven marks, choosing instead to be barefaced. Turians didn't trust a turian who didn't wear their colony markings...Kuril should have matched Garrus but instead wore no marks. "Bounty hunters aren't dependable. Eventually I hit upon this idea. Keep the criminals in space and the galaxy is a safer place."

 

            "You do this because you think it's necessary?" John asked, the doubt heavy in his voice.

 

            "Every day I see the worst sapient life has to offer. Governments are soft, unwilling to make the hard choices. Someone had to stand up and make the galaxy safe," Kuril said and Jane elbowed Garrus again.

 

            "Sorry, Shepard, didn't hear you, don't know what you're talking about," he stated as he moved closer to John. Jane was tempted to chase him and remind him about going vigilante like Kuril had, but she suspected her turian friend had gotten the point.

 

            "Maintaining a population this size in space can't be cheap," Jacob commented.

 

            "We can cut corners that governments can't. And each prisoner brings in a fee from his homeworld. These individuals are violent, and their home planets pay well to keep them here," Kuril said and John managed to keep from narrowing his eyes at that. The extortion end of Purgatory that Garrus and Jane had mentioned.

 

            "What happens if the homeworld doesn't want to pay?" John asked.

 

            "We explain that we can't maintain the prisoner without their help so we'll be forced to release him back onto his homeworld. At an unspecified place and time...as well you know," Kuril stated looking at Jane.

 

            "Actually, that incident was an accident. I had no idea that that particular group was on a release mission. I do apologize," Jane said with her most innocent expression. "I was dealing with a different mission and to be fair...your men fired on me first." His eyes narrowed at her.

 

            "You don't have to agree with my methods, but don't question my motives. These are despicable people and I'm keeping them locked up," Kuril stated and Jane nodded.

 

            "I've seen some of the suspects the Spectres believe are on this vessel. I won't say I'm not happy they aren't in the general public," Jane stated.

 

            "Knowing your methods, they should be happy that they're locked up while you are here," Kuril sneered.

 

            "True," Jane said.

 

            "Have there been escape attempts?" Garrus asked, attempting to change the subject.

 

            "We're in space...they have nowhere to go, and they know it. But still, we exercise extreme caution. These are dangerous individuals," Kuril said as they walked. The group could see two prisoners about to fight when a guard used a field generator to capture and separate the two. "We have many ways to control the population."

 

            “Effective,” John commented dryly. Kuril nodded in agreement and stopped as they reached an intersection.

 

            “I'm going to confirm that the funds from Cerberus cleared. Outprocessing is straight down this hallway. Just keep going past the interrogation rooms and the supermax wing. I'll catch up with you later...Shepards.” Kuril commented, and headed down the other hallway. John frowned as Jane came up beside him.

 

            “Something wrong?” she asked and John turned to her.

 

            “The credits should have already cleared a few days ago. I doubt the Illusive Man would delay a payment for something like this,” John commented. Jane inclined her head in agreement and indicated that John began to lead them down the hall. Soon they were passing what looked like interrogation cells and one was occupied with a couple of turians were beating a prisoner while another watched from outside the cell. Garrus slowed down to watch for a moment.

 

            “You don't even get good information that way...after a point, victims admit to anything to make the pain stop.” Garrus commented. John grunted in agreement as Jacob made a sound of disgust.

 

            “Is there something I can do for you?” The guard watching asked them.

 

            “There's no excuse for beating a prisoner who can't fight back.” John commented. The guard just stared at him.

 

            “This is a massage compared to what his victims went through.” The guard replied.

 

            “This degrades you as much as him.” John countered and the guard shrugged.

 

            “We have orders.”

 

            “So you're not important enough to make your own decisions?” John retorted.

 

            “I admit...I sometimes get tired of this. Does this really get us anything useful?” The guard mused and John saw his opening.

 

            “Stop this. For your own sake.” John prompted and the guard sighed.

 

            “Yeah. You're right.” The guard replied before turning in his comms. “Call it off. At least for now.” John smiled smugly and continued down the hall. The group was quiet as they continued before shortly passing another occupied cell.

 

            “Hey! Hey guys, over here. Let me ask you something. If you're buying prisoners, can you buy me?” the man with 780 on his jumpsuit begged. John opened to his mouth to reply but Jane leaned over to whisper to him.

 

            “Be careful. That's Billy Lowenthal, known serial killer with a history of carving his name into his victims.” She hissed. John stopped, considering.

 

            “Sorry not gonna do it. We're here for Jack.” John replied. The man let out a panicked squeak as John led them away.

 

            “Jack? Forget what I said. I don't want to go nowhere with you!” he called after them. John shook his head as they passed the last prisoner.

 

            “I hear the screaming in my head. It's nice. Yeah….” The prisoner crooned.

 

            “If these are the ones who aren’t in super max, I’m worried about what Jack is going to be like,” Jacob commented as they entered the outprocessing room.

 

            “Outprocessing is through the door on the far side of the room.” A technician said, not even looking up from his terminal. John led the group towards the back. So far everything was going well, in fact this might just be the first mission to not…have…any…

 

            John stopped just in front of the door the tech had motioned them too and sighed. The room was empty. There were desk, chairs and equipment stations and none of them were occupied except one lone tech on the opposite side of the room. Jane came up beside John and raised an eyebrow at him. He gestured in front of him with a few hand signal his thoughts. Jane rolled her eyes at him. Definitely Jane speak for “Obviously.” John grumbled as she smacked the door switch and made the doors snap open to reveal an empty cell. Garrus made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat as Kuril’s voice came out over the room’s speakers.

 

            _“My apologies, Shepards. You're more valuable as prisoners than as customers. Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed.”_ Kuril ordered.

 

            “How much could we possibly be worth to you?” John demanded. “Hell hardly anyone knows about me!”

 

            “Ah but your sister's worth is well known. The Hegemony has a massive bounty offered for her...it triples if she is brought to them alive.” Kuril drawled. John shot Jane a look who shrugged.

 

            “So it’s her fault he double crossed us?” Jacob asked and Garrus shot the Cerberus officer a glare.

 

            “I thought it was a flat rate.” Garrus snapped, not looking away from Jacob who flinched when he noticed.

 

            “It was...until I blew up four more slave ships on the boundary of Hegemony space before taking my vacation.” Jane commented and John ignored her.

 

            “Maybe I can change your mind, Kuril,” John offered.

 

            “Unlikely, there are a lot of zeros at the end of the Hegemony's offer on me.” Jane said.

 

            “That’s not helping”

 

            _“Activate systems!”_ Kuril barked.

 

            “I think that’s a no, John,” Garrus commented just as a wave of mercs and fenris mechs stormed through the doors.

 

~*TF*~

 

            After they fought their way through the mercs and into the control room, Jacob sealed the doors behind them and the group quickly did a weapons check.

 

            "So, four slave ships?" Garrus asked after a moment.

 

            "Yep," Jane replied as she approached the console.

 

            "If we hack that control, every door on the cellblock opens," Jacob stated as he approached and the group looked at each other.

 

            "It's the only way to get Jack out of cryo," Garrus stated.

 

            "To be fair...the prisoners will help to keep the guards busy," Jane stated and gave John a look. He nodded at her.

 

            "Do it. Be ready. I doubt the prisoners will be discriminating against who they go after," John said. Jane used her omnitool to override the console. The group watched at the window as the cryo chamber was brought up. The woman was half naked and Jane shook her head. John made a surprised sound in his throat.

 

            “Not what you were picturing, John?” Jacob asked, amused at the look on John’s face.

 

            “I expected more criminal-Jane and not so much bald, tattooed and nearly topless.” John commented as Jack began to come too. Jane shot John a glare at the comment.

 

            "That's Jack?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Yeah," Jane said as Jack fully woke up and pulled free from her constraints. "Shit, there are three mechs down there."

 

            "She's toast," Garrus stated before Jack roared and glowed blue. Jane was impressed as Jack rushed the mechs and there was a massive explosion beneath them.

 

            "We need to get down there!" John cried and the group headed for the door. They rushed down the ramps. The ship's computer began putting out the warning as alarms went off.

 

            "Sounds like heavy fighting," Jacob muttered as the sound of explosions continued. The door opened and everyone paused. The three mechs were in pieces and there was a large hole in the wall.

 

            "Damn," Garrus muttered.

 

            "She's good," Jane said with quiet respect, taking in the room and eyeing the hole torn through the wall on the far side of the room.

 

            "Shit. She needs to be careful or she's going to go through an exterior wall," John said and the group quickly went through the hole.

 

            _"All guards: restore order! Lethal force authorized! But don't kill Jack! Techs: lockdown! Lockdown!"_ Kuril's voice called over the loudspeaker.

 

            "Call me crazy, but I don't think lockdown is going to stop Jack," Garrus muttered.

 

            _"Sectors Seven, Nine, and Eleven have lost life support. No survivors,"_ the ship's computer reported.

 

            "We need to be prepared for potential spacing," Jane said to John and he nodded.

           

            "Helmets and breathers on, just in case," John said as he removed his helmet from his belt and expanded it. He wasn't getting spaced twice. The group fastened their helmets on and entered a cell block in time to see the cell moving arm collapse.

 

            "This girl is powerful, but she lacks subtlety," Garrus noted.

 

            "Yeah, Archangel was far subtler than this," Jane commented as they began to pass through the room. They reached a bridge and could see a couple Blue Suns and a mech attempting to control prisoners...armed prisoners.

 

            _"All prisoners: return to your cells immediately or I'll open every airlock on this ship!"_ Kuril cried over the loudspeaker.

 

            "I don't think that's going to motivate them to go back," Jacob commented. It was easy to take out the Suns but the mech was less fun.

 

            "Why can't you take out the mech like Jack did?" Garrus asked as Jane ducked for cover.

 

            "I told you she was stronger," Jane said. She saw a form in a prison uniform looking at them from an upper walkway. She took a shot. It ricocheted on the handrail. Bad angle. It didn't matter the form was gone.

 

            "Have you ever really tried?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Not today, Garrus," John chided. He popped up and fired a heavy blast at the mech, causing it to explode. Everyone took a breath before they headed for the door out of this cell block.

 

            _"Shepard, the warden has locked down the area behind you. You must find another exit route,"_ EDI reported over the comms to John as they approached a door.

 

            _"Warning: power plant damage has led to overload. Core system failures imminent,"_ the ship's computer reported.

 

            "Well, several people don't have to worry about this place anymore," Garrus said as they approached a body. It was riddled with stab wounds.

 

            "This guard got swarmed by prisoners with improvised weapons. He never had a chance," John noted solemnly as he knelt by the body to close its eyes.

 

            "Shows you what kind of people these prisoners are. I don't agree with everything they do here, but it's in the galaxy's best interest," Garrus commented and the two Shepards paused to stare at the turian. "What? That guard kept maniacs away from innocent people."

 

            "They were planning on selling us," John replied as he stood.

 

            "We need to keep going," Jane said, opening the door.

 

            _"Lockdown in Blocks Four, Seven, and Eight!"_ Kuril cried.

 

            "Isn't Block Seven one of the ones that lost life support?" Jacob asked.

 

            "Sector Seven lost life support, sectors might not be blocks," Jane suggested as they entered another cell block.

 

~*TF*~

 

            As soon as they entered the next cell block a group of Blue Suns opened fire on them from the walkway to the left and overhead. Jane quickly fired off a biotic pull at the struts and with a grunt yanked them out. John shook his head as the mercs screamed and fell to their deaths.

 

            “It’s like none of these mercs have tactical knowledge. I guess they didn’t need it much being prison guards,” John commented. Jacob started to reply when machine gun fire forced the group to dive away. A YMIR mech came stomping towards them. Jane saw John and Jacob were in cover on the opposite side of the main area. A glance to her left saw Garrus beside her. She turned back and whistled loudly. John looked at her and saw the hand signs she flashed him. He nodded and signaled back his acceptance before turning to Jacob and saying something. They let the mech stomp past them as waited. Jane took a breath and then popped up to open fire, Garrus right with her. The mech stopped for a moment before targeting them. As it did John and Jacob opened fire from their cover. The mech seemed to hesitate, its programming trying to determine the larger threat. It was still processing as they blasted it to pieces, sending it crashing to the ground in a smoking pile of circuits.

 

            “These things seem dumber than when I first encountered them,” John said as they regrouped.

 

            “Once you figure out their limitations they don’t pose much of threat,” Jane commented as they approached the exit of this cellblock. They fanned out as Jane worked at the console to override the door lock. No one noticed the human prisoner armed with a shiv hiding amongst a pile of prisoner bodies until the doors opened. He let out a scream and charged the door, straight for Jane. Jane whirled around, her biotics crackling. Just before she could react, John grabbed the prisoner in a choked hold, with one arm and grabbed the back of his head with his other hand.

 

            “Drop the knife, kid,” John snarled. Jane was breathing heavily, surprised she’d almost been jumped. Garrus came over, growling at the kid and as Jane got a better look, it was indeed a human boy, no older than twenty, she figured.

 

            “Fuck you man, I ain’t going back.” He spat, struggling in John’s grip. John’s arm around his throat tightened a bit making him choke.

 

            “Just knock the little bastard out, Commander,” Jacob stated from behind Jane. John appeared to consider it but Jane saw the kid’s eyes widen. She was about to warn John when the kid jabbed up behind him at John’s face with the shiv. The shiv screeched against John’s helmet and Jane realized if he hadn’t been wearing it, he’d have lost his left eye. John jerked at the impact and snarled. Before Jane could say anything his hand on the back of the kid’s head shot to his chin and with a vicious wrench, the kid’s neck was broken. Jane watched coldly as the kid fell to the ground, lifeless.

 

            “Stupid kid,” John grumbled, his eyes sad. “I would have just choked him out but…” John trailed off and shook his head.

 

            “Come on, I think we’re close to Kuril,” Jane said, leading the team into the next room. As they moved into the room they saw Kuril in the back corner, mowing down prisoners with his assault rifle. When he saw them enter the room, he opened fire on them, forcing them to cover.

 

            “You two were valuable! I could've sold you and lived like a king. But you're too much trouble alive. At least I can recapture Jack and your sister's body will still catch a fine price with the Hegemony! You, John, I’m sure someone will pay for what’s left of you!” Kuril snarled.

 

            “I feel like Jack did more damage than we did really.” Jane muttered.

 

            “Not happening!” John shouted out at Kuril. “You're a two-bit slave trader and I don't have time for it!”

 

            “I do the hard things civil governments are unwilling to! This is for the good of the galaxy!” Kuril barked.

 

            “That sounds familiar.” Jane said, giving Garrus a pointed look.

 

            “We don't have time for this discussion.” Garrus said, ignoring the obvious comparison.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Jacob and Garrus take the left flank. Jane, cover me as we go right," John ordered and the team nodded. Biotic blue surrounded John as he changed right, the biotic shield covering both Shepards. Jane stayed center, pulling her sniper and aiming at the Blue Suns to the right. She was in cover so Kuril couldn't get her. She popped out a few times to give him shots at her before returning to cover.

 

            Jacob and Garrus took the left side of the cell Block. Jacob using his biotics to make openings for Garrus to snipe as they inched forward.

 

            John felt the world slow before him as he began to make use of his implants. Jane's shots would make the Suns retreat, just in time for John to catch them in his kill zone. His hands moved, dropping clips, slamming new ones into place, so fast John wasn't even aware he had done anything until the gun began to fire again.

 

            "Damn you, Shepards!" Kuril cried. Jane had already destroyed the field generator below, Garrus and Jacob took out the one to the left. John took great satisfaction to taking out the one to the right. "I was protecting so many innocents!"

 

            "Don't act so noble," John growled as he began firing.

 

            "You were not worth this," Kuril hissed before his head exploded in a cloud of blue spray.

 

            "You weren't worth the ammo," Jane stated as she walked up behind John. "We need to go." She put a hand to her communicator. "EDI, is Purgatory going to blow?"

 

            _"The power core is beyond repair, it will go into meltdown within two hours,"_ EDI replied.

 

            "Oh, good, I don't have to blow it up," Jane muttered as she looked at John and indicated he lead the way.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The team approached the airlock they entered...where Jack currently was. They slipped in as Jack began to scream, staring at the Normandy as she did so. She wasn't paying attention as a batarian Blue Sun was rushing her. John took him out with a single shot, making Jack whirl around.

 

            "What the hell do you want?" Jack snarled.

 

            "You're in a bad situation, and I'm going to get you out of here," John said and Jane nearly smacked her faceplate. Jack wasn't a woman to be rescued. This was not going to endear the woman to them.

 

            "Shit, you sound like a pussy," Jack said while pacing like a caged tiger. For someone who was victimized before and probably here, she was wasn't afraid. Jane respected that. "I'm not going anywhere with you. You're Cerberus." Okay, now Jane outright liked her. Another anti-Cerberus teammate would not hurt.

 

            "Why does it matter if I'm with Cerberus?" John asked.

 

            "They've been on my ass for years. Anytime I get free, they put a huge bounty on me. That's why Warden Kuril figured he'd struck gold when he caught me," Jack said.

 

            "You've destroyed Cerberus property and killed Cerberus people. That's why I thought they put the bounty on you," Jane replied.

 

            "Bullshit," Jack sneered and Jane smirked.

           

            "If that's not true, too bad, I've destroyed Cerberus property and killed Cerberus people too, I thought we might become friends," Jane stated sarcastically and Jack gave her a look.

 

            "You show up in a Cerberus frigate to take me away somewhere. You think I'm stupid?" Jack said and Jane shrugged.

 

            "This ship is going down in flames. We can get you to safety, and we're asking for your help," John said.

 

            "We're Spectres. Cerberus hired him to lead on their...mission. The Council paired us up on this case so I'm catching a ride, but I don't trust Cerberus either," Jane said. "I have seen what Cerberus does. I'm using them to get what I want...what do you want Jack?" Jack raised an eyebrow at that.

 

            "What are you offering?" Jack asked, Jane looked at John. She got Jack willing to negotiate, it was his party now.

 

            "Join my team and I'll do what I can for you," John said as he approached Jack.

 

            "Don't make promises you can't keep," Jack warned. "I bet your ship's got lots of Cerberus databases. I want to look at those files. See what Cerberus has got on me. You want me on your team, let me go through those databases."

 

            "I'll give you full access," John said.

 

            "Shepard, you're not authorized to do that," Jacob protested. John shot Jacob a look who scowled but remained quiet.

 

            "You better be straight up with me," Jack said to John, drawing his attention back to her.

 

            "I am," John said.

 

            "So why the hell are we standing here?" Jack asked.

 

            “Let’s go," John said leading the way to the airlock.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Where's the quietest place away from people?" Jack asked Jane as they walked into the ship. Jane blinked before thinking as Joker pulled them away from the exploding prison station.

 

            "Do you care if it is meant to be inhabited?" Jane asked and Jack shook her head. "Follow me."

 

            "You fought Cerberus?" Jack asked and Jane nodded as she led the way.

 

            "They tried to abduct me a couple times. Never found out why. The agents always erased their orders," Jane said.

 

            "Yeah, they do that," Jack said. Miranda got off the elevator and stared at the two women.

 

            "Made a new friend, Shepard?" Miranda asked and Jane smiled.

 

            "Got a problem with it, Cheerleader?" Jack asked and Miranda blinked in shock.

 

            "I have," Jane stated as the two got on the elevator. Jane pressed the button and they headed down to engineering.

 

            “Post mission debrief in fifteen minutes,” Miranda said just as the doors closed. Jack shot Jane a questioning look. Jane rolled her eyes, shrugging off Miranda.

 

            "There's an access hub under the main engineering deck. It's mostly access to various systems. Don't scare Gabby or Ken, they're not bad people, but Cerberus has made sure to give them it's best, lying face," Jane said.

 

            "What do you know about Cerberus?" Jack asked and Jane sighed as she crossed her arms.

 

            "I know about genetic testing, biological warfare...some of their eugenics projects," Jane said. "I also know about a couple cases of spying and I have evidence against them for the Quarians and a sabotage plan that went through."

 

            "You came willingly?" Jack asked and Jane looked down.

 

            "I am part of a two-man Spectre team as ordered by the Council. I'm here because of that," Jane lied and Jack looked at her. "That's my story, anything else is classified by Alliance protocol." Jack stared at her.

 

            "Biotic?" Jack asked and Jane nodded. "Bet I can beat you."

 

            "Teach me how to tear through a YMIR mech like you did and I'll let you beat me every day of the week," Jane said and Jack smirked.

 

            "Let me beat you?" she asked and the doors opened.

 

~*TF*~

 

            John was waiting by the far wall with Miranda, Jacob and Garrus as Jane led Jack into the conference room. Jane raised an eyebrow at John as Miranda came striding towards them as they stopped by the table. John shrugged as Miranda stopped. She looked the former prisoner over with a stern, disapproving look.

 

            “Welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I’m Miranda, John Shepard’s second in command.” Miranda began. Jane snorted at that as she moved to stand next to Garrus and the engineered woman shot Jane a nasty look before turning back to Jack. “On this ship, we follow orders.” At this Garrus coughed to cover up a snicker.

 

            “Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off, Johnny-boy.” Jack snarled, looking past Miranda at John. “I’m here because of our deal.”

 

            “Miranda will let you into the system. Let me know what you find.” John said.

 

            “Hear that precious?” Jack said a falsely-sweet tone. “We’re going to be friends. You, me and every embarrassing secret. I’ll be reading down in the hold, near the bottom. Your sister found me a cozy little place, right next to the engine.” Jack turned and strolled out of the room.  “Keep your people off me. Better that way.”

 

            Miranda shot John an exasperated look and shook her head, before leaving the room. Jacob sighed and followed her as well. Jane shot John a look.

 

            “Miranda is your second in command?” she asked in an obviously fake questioning tone. John rolled his eyes.

 

            “I’ve been calling her my XO since you came aboard and now you finally noticed? Or cared enough to remember? Anyways I’m not surprised the Illusive Man did that, he did bank roll this project. Besides I think that may change before everything is said and done,” John noted. Jane seemed surprised to hear him say that and Garrus chuckled.

 

            “Any thoughts on that, John?” he asked. John nodded and focused on the Turian in the room.

 

            “Actually yes I have. I don’t suppose-”

 

            “Sorry to cut this short,” Kasumi said, her cloak deactivating as she appeared right in John’s line of vision, making him jump and Jane reach for her pistol. “But something has come up Shepards.”

 

            “Holy shit don’t **do** that, Kasumi!” John exclaimed. “Knock or something! I thought I told you not to do that after last time!”

 

            “Last time?” Jane inquired, trying to get her racing heart under control, she had nearly shot a teammate unintentionally.

 

            “Sorry He-Shep, I was just doing some recon when you walked in,” the thief said cheekily.

 

            “In my bathroom?” John demanded. Jane and Garrus exchanged a look.

 

            “Welllllll…you do have a better shower than the crew quarters.” Kasumi said, grinning at him. “Nice tush too. I’d give it a nine out of ten.”

 

            “Kasumi the _point_?” Jane interrupted, not wanting to know about her brother’s _anything_ in the stats department.

            “Right well remember that thing I need help with?” Kasumi said. Jane nodded as John grumbled under his breath. “It’s going down in four days and we’ll just barely make it as it is. Soooooo, we gotta go. And I need ya both.”

 

            “Oh God this is going to suck isn’t it?” John grumbled.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 25th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, In Transit to Bekenstein

 

            "Have you done this before She-Shep?" Kasumi asked as she applied the artificial tattoo to Jane's face.

 

            "I've been known to do undercover for the Council," Jane said and Kasumi's eyes glittered.

 

            "Oooh," she purred and Jane fought a smile. It was hard not to like the enigmatic thief.

 

            "Sorry, black ops, cannot talk about it," Jane said and Kasumi grinned.

 

            "I bet with a little liquor we can get that tongue wagging," she said.

 

            "So who is this person you are making me up to look like?" Jane asked.

 

            "Omega dancer who made a splash and ran off," Kasumi said and Jane wondered as the tattoo was applied.

 

            "What was her name?" Jane asked, noticing a bottle of black hair dye on the table.

 

            "Elaina Berger, all the space gossip has it that she ran off with one of her turian mercenary clients," Kasumi said and Jane nearly burst out laughing. Of course, Kasumi had probably run a facial recognition program to see if Jane looked like anyone and gotten images from Afterlife's publicity page.

 

            "So you want to set it up that I am this Elaina woman and she ran away with...the person you are making John into?" Jane asked and Kasumi nodded.

 

            "Not too shabby a job either. I took a few of your photographs and altered them to make them more romantic and accurate for appearances," Kasumi said and Jane realized something.

 

            "I hope you appreciate how weird it is that you are essentially turning us into romantic partners when we are twins," Jane stated and Kasumi blinked.

 

            "Twins who are romantic partners...now where have I read that storyline before..." Kasumi hummed before snapping her fingers. "One of my first heists was the original manuscripts for a series of books from Earth. A Song of Fire and Ice I think. I read them all. Pretty good, the last book was probably the best."

           

            "Still weird, Kasumi," Jane said and the thief waved a hand dismissively.

 

            "Don't worry, we won't be staying for the orgy anyway," she said and Jane stared at her. "Just joking, She-Shep." Jane relaxed. "I would never miss an orgy."

 

            "Not funny," Jane replied.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Why is it that women always do the makeup thing together when they can?” John muttered as he checked out the datapad specs for the high end hover car Kasumi had somehow acquired for this mission. He felt out of place in the suit Kasumi had given him and insisted he try on. He was waiting for Jane and Kasumi in the mess hall and Garrus was there getting something to eat.

 

            “I don’t know but it’s something that crosses species lines too.” Garrus commented. “Solana did the same thing when she and bunch of her friends came to our house one day and she went over to their homes.”

 

            “How is she doing by the way?” John asked, curious and wanting to catch up. Garrus coughed awkwardly.

 

            “Actually I haven’t spoken to them in like six months. I got so wrapped up in Omega and my team, I kind of…forgot.” Garrus said, looking awkward. John sighed and shook his head.

 

            “Call them after we leave, Garrus.” John ordered. Garrus laughed at that.

 

            “If it was that simple John I’d have done it already. I’m still not sure what to say to my father after Omega. I know he’ll ask when he sees my face.”

 

            John sighed but didn’t know what to say either. He was thankful when the elevator doors opened and in strolled Kasumi in her armor and…John’s eyes widened as he realized the woman with Kasumi was Jane. Jane was in a nice black dress…that matched her now jet black hair hanging around her shoulders. It was styled and framed her face along with tattoo which looked like ivy covering half her face. The color of her skin was darker and as they got closer he saw she had brown contacts in.

 

            “Whoa, who’s that with Kasumi?” Garrus muttered. John shot the turian a look.

 

            “Seriously?” John demanded. Garrus didn’t hear John as he focused on the ladies approaching.

 

            “Hello gentlemen, may I introduce Elaina Berger, former talent from Omega’s one and only Afterlife,” Kasumi stated and Jane twirled some of her new hair around a finger.

 

            “Pleasure to meet you,” Jane said in a voice that sounded different to John. It was similar to Aria’s tone and certainly didn’t sound like Jane.

 

            “Wait…the one that ran off with the turian mercenary?” Garrus asked and Jane batted her eyelashes as she looked Garrus up and down in a predatory way John had never seen her do before. Garrus’ mandibles twitched and he swallowed slightly.

           

            “What can I say?” Jane purred. “I like them tall with a nice fringe. Yours is pretty impressive there, is it true what they say?” Garrus blinked.

 

            “About?” he asked as he leaned forward. Jane got too close for John’s liking.

 

            “About the longer the fringe, the longer you spend in bed?” Jane asked and Garrus laughed nervously before rubbing the back of his neck.

 

            “Well, that’s um…you’ve heard about that?” he asked and Jane smirked as she moved back.

 

            “After all these years, you think I didn’t know, Garrus?” she said in her normal voice and Garrus’ jaw dropped.

 

            “Shepard?” he asked and Jane put on a sultry smirk.

 

            “Good to know you have a soft spot for human women. Has anyone ever told you, you’re a bad turian?” Jane teased and Garrus blinked.

 

            “I…I need to go…calibrations…” he muttered.

 

            “I think with these looks we will be ready to go Sheps,” Kasumi said as Garrus wandered from the mess hall in a daze. John realized he might need to talk to his friend. He seemed conflicted about his sister. Something John needed to straighten out.

 

            “One thing first, Kasumi,” Jane replied. “Mr. Moreau has to answer a few questions…”

 

            “Oh God.” John moaned. “I’ll check out the car. I don’t want to see this.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            "So, Mr. Moreau, I finally caught you all by your lonesome," Jane purred with her Omega accent as she leaned in the doorway with her makeover. Joker turned to face her and his eyes moved down and then back up.

 

            "Whoa...um...do I know you?" he asked and Jane wondered if this was a joke. Could Joker really not recognize her? Maybe Garrus wasn't pulling her leg in the mess. She put the dancer's sway into her walk as she approached his chair.

 

            "Sure you do...you liked how I gave you orders," She placed a hand on his chair over his shoulder and slowly brought her face down to his. Joker's eyes dipped down to her cleavage. The next line was given in her normal voice. "Then you ran off and I couldn't find you. Time to tell me why you didn't respond to my messages and why John thinks I abandoned you, Jeff."

 

            "Fucking shit, Shepard!" Joker cried and his eyes ripped up from her breasts to her face. "The fuck!" Jane leaned back and crossed her arms under her breasts. Jeff's eyes started wandering back down to the pick-a-boo panel in her shirt and he quickly locked eyes with her. "You...goddamn, that's not fair."

 

            "You'd be surprised how useful that act is for getting answers," Jane said as she walked back to the door. She zipped the jacket she had on up over the peek-a-boo panel. "So...time for a talk, Joker."

 

            "Shit...Shepard...try running that by me again?" he asked and Jane smiled slightly as she shook her head.

 

            "John mentioned to me a while back that you said I abandoned you. I was confused because, you never answered any of my messages to you," Jane said. Joker stared at her. "I swear to God Joker, right after I got command of the SSV Okinawa I put in a request to have you as my pilot." He stared at her harder.

 

            "You're serious?" he asked and Jane pulled up her mail folder on her omnitool.

 

            "June twenty-fifth, eighty four," Jane said as she showed him her omnitool. Joker looked at the two message files. The first was the official response to confirm that Jane was accepting the role of commanding officer of the SSV Okinawa, the second was her request to have Jeff Moreau as her pilot. He stared at the messages before playing on her omnitool for a second.

 

            "These are legit," he said and looked at her.

 

            "EDI can you confirm these messages?" Jane asked and EDI flickered.

 

            "Both messages are legitimate and their time stamps are accurate," she said and Joker blinked. He went into Jane's inbox, he flicked through the messages until her got to a couple different dates in eighty-four. He did the same in the trash. He attempted a message retrieval and found nothing.

 

            "I tried writing you several times when the Alliance grounded me, you...you never got any of my messages," Joker said, he stared up at Jane. She placed a hand on Joker's shoulder.

 

            "Someone is messing with us. They targeted you and they targeted me," Jane said, her eyes flickering to EDI's display. Joker's eyes narrowed. "However, we have met up again and when you get tired of the comfy private sector, I still want you as my pilot on the Okinawa," Jane said.

 

            "I thought you weren't the type to snake talent," Joker stated, his eyes serious.

 

            "I don't snake soldiers off of other Alliance crews. But this is a Cerberus crew and when we save the galaxy a second time...I'm drafting you, Flight Lieutenant," Jane stated and Joker blinked.

 

            "Sure you don't want to seize command of this ship for the Alliance?" he asked.

 

            "This ship is Cerberus property," EDI broke in. “Officially registered to John Shepard.”

 

            "That's right," Jane said as she stood up. "We good, Jeff?" He nodded.

 

            "Sure thing, Shepard, I have a lot to think about knowing that you thought I ghosted on you," Jeff said and Jane smiled.

 

            "To be honest, I thought you were mad at me," she said and he stared at her in shock.

 

            "I'm the one who got..." he didn't expect her to put a hand over his mouth.

 

            "Joker, it was never your fault. I would have done the same damn thing if I had been on the Normandy that day. You did not cause nor were you a reason for what happened that day. If I ever find the ones that were, I have a whole lot of new ways to kill a person to show them," Jane said as she got up. "We're good, Joker, now stop pretending that if you hold still I can't see you when I get on and off the SR2."

 

            "Yes, ma'am," Joker said and Jane honestly smiled.

 

            "I'm not the one in charge on this ship," she said and Joker grinned at her.

 

            "You could easily command me if you wear that outfit like you were before," he said with a wink. Jane laughed and nodded.

 

            "With great bosom comes great responsibility," Jane said.  

 

            "I could help you hold those if your back gets tired," Joker said and Jane gave him a look. "Too far?"

 

            "Too far," Jane said as she headed out. She highly suspected that Cerberus was the one to divide her and Joker. Clearly they wanted him for the SR2, but was that the only reason?

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: January 26th, 2186 CE

Location: En Route to Donovan Hock's home, Bekenstein

 

            John was driving the car while Jane sat in the passenger seat, Kasumi was in the back looking pleased with herself. The two did make a dashing pair, it still made both Shepards just a little uncomfortable to be playing a romantic couple.

 

            "You clean up well, Mr. Solomon Gunn and you really do look stunning, Miss Elaina Berger," Kasumi said with glee. "Hock won't know what hit him."

 

            "So, we're Solomon Gunn and Elaina Berger as our cover," John said.

 

            "You run a small but talented band of mercs out in the Terminus Systems. Precisely the type of person Hock respects," Kasumi said as she pulled up digital files that showed off a whole history for Solomon Gunn. "I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, witnesses, article in Badass Weekly." The articles changed to the ones for Elaina Berger, Jane recognized a few as reviews for Afterlife. She was both embarrassed and sort of proud of the five stars. "Elaina was easier. Well known dancer who made a scene at Afterlife for a couple months. Rising up the dancing world. She vanished the same night as a mercenary client of hers." Jane couldn't remember that. "A sordid romance between a human dancer and a turian mercenary, a bunch of gossip columns ran with the story for weeks." Jane nearly laughed. Kavic Velius was the turian Spectre on the Omega Team. He had been a regular client for all the Spectre dancers. Her picture as Elaina came up and John blinked.

 

            "No wonder you chose that background," John muttered. "She looks a lot like Jane. I would have mistaken her for Jane."

 

            "Creepy," Jane managed to sound serious when she wanted to laugh. "Anything we should know?"

 

            "Just don't start talking business with him, and you'll be fine," Kasumi said.

 

            "What kind of a man is Hock?" John asked.

 

            "Hock's a weapons dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his graybox. Other than that, he's not so bad. Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man's skull to get at the neural implants inside," Kasumi said and for a moment Jane saw something in Kasumi's face. Keiji was important...more than the casual teammate.

 

            "I take it we are wearing these getups for a reason," John said.

 

            "You'd look really out of place at a society party in armor, don't you think," Kasumi said. "You both look great. You should wear this stuff more often."

 

            "I would think an Omega dancer wouldn't be invited to a society party," Jane said.

 

            "Actually there are four others on the list," Kasumi said and Jane worried. "Two are now wives to other attendees and two were hired for the party as escorts for the same man."

 

            "What are the details for this job?" Jane asked.

 

            "You both have been waiting patiently. Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends. A couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murderers you'll ever want to meet, all bringing gifts as tribute to the man himself," Kasumi said. Images of guests, the home, and many other details played across the hub. "Our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend Saren, rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armor. You can keep your pistols, as long as they're concealed. They won't hassle you over a sidearm."

 

            "Once inside, we'll make our way to Hock's vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. Then we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Then we just waltz into the vault and take back Keiji's graybox. And I'll finally get a chance to say goodbye," Kasumi said and Jane nodded.

 

            "You've worked really hard on this. Keiji must have meant a lot to you," Jane said. John gave her a look, Jane nearly blushed. She knew she could be a bitch, but she still had a heart.

 

            "Was I that obvious. Keiji's graybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories. It's all that remains of who he was," Kasumi said. "But the secret he discovered is dangerous. I wouldn't bring you both here if it wasn't."

 

            "What's in the graybox that makes it so dangerous?" John asked.

 

            "The graybox holds Keiji's memories. Everything from all the codes and plans he stole to ...all the time we spent together. Wrapped up in those memories is the secret he stole. Keiji never told me what it was, but the information got him killed," Kasumi said and Jane reached back and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

            "We're almost there," she said, looking at John.

 

            "This ought to be interesting," he said, giving Kasumi a kind look.

 

            "That's what I'm going for," Kasumi said with a grin.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “This is our stop. After you, Mr. Gunn, Ms. Berger. I'll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can.” Kasumi said as the doors began to open. John stopped her from getting out as they did.

 

            “Cloak, now.” John ordered. “It’s better if you’re not seen at all.”

 

            “I love it when you get all ordery He-Shep,” Kasumi quipped before cloaking. John shook his head as Jane chuckled. John sighed and closed the doors after a moment of fishing around in the car and handing Jane a purse. He held his arm out to her, and when she slipped her arm into his, he led the way to the entrance. He eyed the statue of Saren impassively but Jane kept a happy, vapid expression on her face.

 

            “Just one moment, sir. There seems to be an issue with the statue.” A merc in black armor said, checking his omni-tool scan. John felt Jane’s hand tighten on his arm and turned to the man approaching them. He fit Kasumi’s description perfectly. This was Donovan Hock.

 

            “Is there a problem here?” Hock demanded.

 

            “No, Mr. Hock. Just doing a scan.” The guard replied. Hock eyed the statue for a moment and extended a hand to John.

 

            “I don't believe we've met. Donovan Hock.” Hock introduced himself. John shook his hand, doing his best to smile as he did so.

 

            “I've heard a lot about you. Name's Solomon Gunn. This is my companion, Elaina Berger.” John said, gesturing to Jane after he finished shaking Hock’s hand.

 

            “And I have heard a lot about you. Both of you.” Hock mused, glancing at John before focusing his eyes on Jane. “You've been very busy lately, if the extranet is to be believed Mr. Gunn. And you, my dear, were supposed to have vanished over a year ago.”

 

            “Some of us get out of the limelight so that we can share it with the one we love.” Jane simpered and John barely kept himself from rolling his eyes.

 

            “Sir, the scanners aren't picking anything up.” The guard said as he finished his scan.

 

            “Hmm, I don't think our guests would come all the way here from Ilium just to cause trouble. Do you? You may pass through, Mr. Gunn, Ms. Berger, with my apologies.”

 

            “No problem. You're the host.” John said happily as Hock turned to go back inside.

 

            “Enjoy the party. “ He called out behind him.

 

            _“Time to mingle Sheps. We'll keep radio contact in case something goes wrong._ ” Kasumi told them over the comms. John sighed but resolved himself before leading his sister into the lion’s den.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Very nice. There's more here than I expected.” Kasumi mused a few minutes later at the vault entrance they found laughingly easy. “Give me a moment Sheps.” John grunted as Kasumi scanned the vault to figure out exactly what they needed to get inside. He couldn’t help his eyes drifting over to the Saren statue.

 

            “His name was added to the memorial of Spectres. I made sure of it.” Jane said, coming up from behind John. He glanced at her. “I may have fought him and hated him, but he was still a Spectre, even if Sovereign got him at the end.”

 

            “I’m surprised you did that for Saren.” John commented. Jane scoffed before moving away.

 

            “It was the last thing my brother requested of the Council, I was damn sure to see it through.” Jane snarked and John winced. He’d actually forgotten for a moment that Jane thought he was an imposter.

 

            “Password protected voice lock. Kinetic barrier. DNA scanner - looks like an EX-700 series. Everything a vault needs to be impenetrable.” Kasumi called over to them, turning to face the Shepards as she read her omnitool.

 

            “This going to be a problem?” John wondered.

 

            “Please. Remember who you're talking to.” Kasumi said, smugly. “We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock. I recommend Ms. Berger chat up Hock for that. We'll have to find a password, too. DNA? Child's play. We should find plenty of DNA samples in Hock's private quarters. And the barrier? Cut the power. Never fails...if we can find it. Keiji could get through a system like this in his sleep. And I'm better. Let's get to it.”

 

            “The security room will probably have the password.” John mused as they left the vault room entrance.

 

            “You two can cut the power and get the password while I'll chat up Hock for the voice sample.” Jane said, strolling away.

 

            _“You may need to be a distraction while we raid Hock's rooms, probably an additional security force behind the scenes.”_ Kasumi noted over the comms. _“John you’re close to the panel right now. I can guide you through it.”_

 

            “Fire away Kasumi.”

 

            _“Did I ever mention I love it when you get all leader-y He-Shep?”_ Kasumi quipped. _“Okay, here’s step one…”_

 

~*TF*~   

 

            Jane pulled her persona from Omega around her and began to walk towards Donovan Hock with the grace her training had given her.

 

            _"All you need to do is keep him talking long enough for me to get a voiceprint,"_ Kasumi said over Jane's ear piece. Hock looked at her and she smiled at him with her best dancer's sultry look.

 

            "Ah, Ms Berger, where has your escort gone?" Hock asked and Jane looked over her shoulder.

 

            "Oh, Sol? He's admiring your artwork. Art just isn't my thing really," Jane said and Hock looked at her.

 

            "Some people just don't understand it," Hock said in a superior tone and Jane laughed.

 

            "Oh I understand it, but why make it, when you could be it," Jane purred as her biotics flickered over her skin like light through water. Hock's eyes followed the show and several of the guests were impressed.

 

            "You really are Elaina Berger," Hock chuckled and Jane blinked as her biotics continued to flicker.

 

            "You doubted it?" she asked and he nodded.

 

            "I thought you were someone else, but you are the dancer from Omega," he said and Jane smiled as she slowly let the biotics filter away down her body, like she was stepping out of water.

 

            "Have you seen me dance before?" she asked and he shook his head.

 

            "No, I saw the video Afterlife produced of talented dancers. You were one of them," Hock said, his eyes played over Jane's body, not unlike Joker's, but far more malicious.

 

            "I'm sure all of us would love to hear the truth about your disappearance," a salarian purred and Jane smiled flirtatiously.

 

            "I would hate to bore my host, especially when he seems more concerned about security," Jane said and Hock shook his head.

 

            "I'm sure with your relationship with Mr. Gunn you know how it is in our line of work, we attract a certain element. Few understand the pain we take to keep the barbarians at bay," Hock said offering his arm and Jane took it as he turned to walk the room, gesturing with his hand holding his drink. "People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile. They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like me...like Mr. Gunn...are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning. This party is for us. The cleaners. The support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusions of peace. May there always be a market for the things we do." He took Jane's hand and kissed the back. She smiled at him.

 

            _"I said get him talking, and you got him talking,"_ Kasumi chuckled. _"We got enough of a voice sample. Keep him distracted, me and your bro are almost inside the security room."_

 

            "Go ahead, Ms. Berger, tell us your tale," Hock said and Jane smiled flirtatiously.             

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Let me unlock that security room door for you. There we go. Ready when you are.” Kasumi said as she decloaked right next to John. John didn’t even have time to roll his eyes as the doors swung open.

 

            “Hey, you can't be back here.” A guard shouted, surprised.

 

            “Take-” the other guard was cutoff as John put a round through his throat with his silenced pistol and Kasumi quickly took out hers.

 

            “Nice shot, He-Shep,” Kasumi mused, strolling in. John smirked at her.

 

            “I’m just glad I insisted on silenced pistols,” John noted, holstering his side arm. “What idiot would go on a stealth missions without one?”

 

            “Hmm. I have a few ideas about that.” Kasumi drawled, “Anyway, see what you can find.” John began going through datapads, looking around. He vaguely heard Jane’s banter with the party guests and Hock as he did. He found what they were looking for in the fifth data pad.

 

            “Ah ha!” John exclaimed.

 

            “Got something?” Kasumi inquired and John nodded, handing her the pad.

 

            “The password is Peruggia.” John noted, smugly.

 

            “Huh. That's the name of the man who stole the Mona Lisa. Nice. I tapped their communications. I think we can get past the private-room guard. Tell him Chief Roe sent you.” Kasumi explained before activating her cloak.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “Sorry, Mr. Hock's private rooms are off-limits without security clearance.” The guard growled as John approached.

 

            “But I have clearance to go in.” John exclaimed, pretending to be surprised. The guard shared that look.

 

            “On whose authority?” he asked suspiciously.

 

            “I have authorization from Chief Roe.” John said smugly.

 

            “Okay, one second.” The guard replied, before turning on his comms. “Chief Roe? Samuels. Have you given access authorization to Mr. Hock's private rooms?”

 

            _“They have access, Samuels.”_ John heard Kasumi growl, making him smile. _“Now stop bothering me!”_

 

            “Got it. Sorry to bother you, ma'am. Okay, you're cleared to go in. Enjoy the party.”

 

            “Thank you,” John replied, moving past the man. He just hoped they could find the DNA samples Kasumi needed.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Goddess, you were dating Archangel?" the asari said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "He wasn't Archangel then, just Longinus, a burned out law enforcer. He would come and spend time watching me dance when he got leave. Sweet guy, funny too, but then he got the idea to do what he did," Jane said and she shook her head. "I told him it was stupid, I mean, it was a suicide mission on Omega. I gave up dancing to try and get him to give it up. I even left Omega. It worked for a while, we played house in the Terminus, you know how it goes. People will pay good money for trustworthy security."

 

            "So you left him when he headed back to Omega?" the salarian asked and Jane nodded.

           

            "He got hit by a Blood Pack squad, lost most of his team. Sent him over the edge. I knew that way of life was going to get him killed. I didn't have it in me to go back to Omega, but it didn't matter. I was looking for work and then Sol showed up. He had seen me dance on Omega. He knew who I was and he told me Longinus was a fool for choosing revenge over me. Who needs a knight in shining armor when you have a man willing to kill for you, am I right?" Jane said flippantly and several of the women giggled while the men chuckled.

 

            "Women like you are rare, Ms. Berger," Hock said in a purring tone and Jane smiled at him as she saw John.

 

            "Sorry, Mr. Hock, but I already have the man I want doing my killing for me," she said. "Excuse me." Jane walked over to John and took his arm. It was weird to press her body against him, but they needed to look legit.

 

            "Time to crack that vault," Kasumi whispered in their ears and they moved to corner.

 

            "Not too fast," Jane said as she pulled John into a corner, making it look like he pushed her against the wall.

 

            "I don't like this," John said, looking uncomfortable.

 

            "I know you don't like an audience," Jane purred. "Did you have fun?"

 

            "We got what we needed," Kasumi whispered.

 

            "Rather boring," John replied.

 

            "No one will see us on the steps," Jane said.

 

            "Good show, Ms. Berger, Hock is looking away now," Kasumi said and John nodded. The group went down the stairs as soon as they were out of sight, Jane pulled away from John.

 

            "How often have you done something like this?" John asked as Kasumi de-cloaked and moved to the door.

 

            "Black ops, cannot tell you," Jane said as they entered the vault.

 

            "That got it. The barrier's down," Kasumi said as she approached the voice panel and John began placing the DNA sample into the scanner. The systems turned green and welcomed Mr. Hock. The elevator doors opened and Jane wondered if it wasn't just a little too easy.

 

            "I'll check for security cams. Go ahead and get dressed," Kasumi said. John pressed a panel on the podium. A panel opened and two trays with armor came out and went to either side. One was Jane's and the other was John’s. A third tray came out and stayed in the middle with their weapons. Jane began putting on her lower armor under the dress, she ignored John at first. He removed his suit top and the dress shirt, with only the undershirt Jane could see the scars.

 

            The pattern of scarring was horrific. Here and there was the glow of a cybernetic implant beneath the flesh. A strange ridge in the flesh here and there. It confused Jane at first until she realized. Fissures. They were fissures where gas within the body had ripped out of blood vessels and flesh into the vacuum of space. Jane turned away. John had been spaced. She had never seen him without a uniform on before...but John had been spaced. Jane continued putting on her armor.

 

            The thought repeated in her head again and again. My brother was spaced. This John was spaced. Those weren't faked. Those were real. It's John. She froze, no, she had to be certain...but...she closed her eyes and took a breath as she removed the dress. She was armored to the waist.

 

            "Was that from Dirake?" John asked and Jane blinked as she got out of her thoughts. He had put his lower armor on over his dress pants. She looked over her shoulder to see him pointed at a scar on her back. It was a slice that went from the bottom of her left shoulder blade under her bra to her lower right ribs.

 

            "No," Jane said as she turned her thoughts from the hope that John was her John to the dark memory of that scar.

 

            "Black ops?" John asked and she shook her head.

 

            "Batarian slaver," Jane said. "Got into a bad situation where I had to either take a hit or risk a batarian setting off the kill command for the implants. Took the hit."

 

            "I hope you killed him," John said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "That was the mission where they started calling me the Terror of the Hegemony," Jane said.

 

            "What happened?" John asked.

 

            "You want to hear my side?" Jane asked and John nodded. "After we get back to the Normandy."

 

            The elevator went down.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “So this is Hock's vault. Very nice. This scanner will hone in on the graybox. It's not far.” Kasumi said, activating a device on her omnitool that began to ring out with the most annoying beeping. As Kasumi led them to the graybox John couldn’t stop staring at Lady Liberty’s head. He’d read enough about the theft but still to see it like that…

 

            “I’m making a note to send a little letter to a few of my Spectre friends who I know would like to see some of this art returned to the museums they belong in.” Jane commented to John who grunted in approval. His attention was brought back to Kasumi who squealed in joy. John hurried over to her.

 

            “That's a Kassa Locust. No, THE Kassa Locust! The gun that killed two Presidents. Gorgeous. It even comes with a perfect copy, too. I'm sure Hock won't mind if we borrow these.” Kasumi gushed, looking to John with hope. John just chuckled and waved it away. Kasumi let out a happy cry and scooped them up, jostling something else on the table.

 

            “What’s this?” John asked, picking up a combat knife on the same table the Locusts had been on as Kasumi armed herself with the replica and let the original stick to her back with her armor’s magnetic clamps. He unsheathed it and the area around them filled with the sound of a faint hum, barely a whisper loud. Jane smiled, her eyes practically glowing.

 

            “That is a Progressive blade. Its laser sharpened down and mass effect fields make the blade vibrate. It’s supposed to cut through shields, armor and even most barriers like butter.” Jane said, eying the blade hungrily. “They cost about a million apiece. So I ca-”

 

            “Mine.” John said, cutting her off and quickly sheathing the blade before strapping it to his armor. He purposely ignored the look Jane was shooting him as Kasumi moved a bit further down the table.

 

            “Oh my god. There it is!” Kasumi cried picking up the graybox.

 

            “Don't bother, Ms. Goto. It's codelocked.” Hock’s voice boomed throughout the room. John jerked up and stared in disbelief as a huge hologram of Hock’s head. “I had a feeling that you were involved. I knew if you were, you'd get through.”

 

            “You know me. I don't like to disappoint.” Kasumi retorted, slipping the graybox into a pouch on her back.

 

            “I need what's in your graybox, Kasumi. You know I'm willing to kill you for it. I'll admit your skills are impressive. You got into my vault like I'd left it open. But you're still going to die, screaming, just like your old friend.” Hock snapped.

 

            “Let's see you try. This is where your special skills come into play, Shepards.” Kasumi called as mercs swarmed into the room

 

            “The hologram was a bit much, don’t you think?” John noted as he took cover. “Think you could seduce him Jane and get him to call off the guards?”

 

            “Shut up and shoot!” Jane replied.

 

~*TF*~

 

            It was one continuous fight. From the trophy room down the exitway, they were hounded by mercs and mechs. A team had finally been able to stop them in their tracks with a YMIR mech. The YMIR fired at the team and Jane put up a barrier, keeping the team safe.

 

            "Good catch!" Kasumi cried before cloaking and Jane dove behind a vehicle as John blew the mech's head up. The group was in cover as the mech exploded. Jane pulled her sniper and began clearing the way up a head.

 

            "Cover me!" John cried.

 

            "If I don't kill them all before you get your ass down there," Jane called after him. Another head went up in a bloody cloud.

 

            The team moved from room to room, blowing up walls when the need existed.

 

            "How big is this man's basement?" John groaned as they killed the last mercenary in the room.

 

            "He is a major arms dealer...so God knows," Jane huffed as she quickly reloaded her sniper.

 

            "We should be close," Kasumi said, just as they exited onto a transport dock.

 

            "Wow, he stores and ships from home...convenient," Kasumi stated as they exited slowly. It was empty.

 

            "Too easy," Jane said as the hum of an engine approached and a gunship appeared with Hock in the pilot's seat.

 

            "Incoming! Get down!" John cried and the three ducked behind crates. "Where's Garrus when you need him?" Jane looked over the crate and avoided the fire.

 

            "Better choice to leave him behind. Last time we faced a gunship he succeeding in catching a rocket with his face. I’d rather not repeat that," Jane stated, putting up a barrier.

 

            "Good point," John called back.

 

            _"You could have done this the easy way, Goto. Allow me to show you the hard way,"_ Hock shouted. Platforms began to come up with mercenaries on them.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "I got Hock!" John cried out, opening fire on the gunship, making him veer away.

 

            "We'll take the troops," Jane stated as she pulled the sniper and began taking out the foot soldiers.

 

            "Oh, I'm in the way. Got it," Kasumi quipped before going cloaked. Jane focused on shooting, every now and then throwing a merc off the platform with a well aimed throw. As she ducked for cover to reload she heard a blood curdling scream from her right. She glanced that way and saw a merc had jumped the barrier John was behind but he had stabbed the merc in the chest with his new knife. The merc was withering in the ground by John’s feet as John popped up to blast another with his shotgun. Jane then felt her blood run cold as John…reacted like John did. She saw him drop his shotgun into his free hand and yanked his assault rifle free with his right hand. As he aimed and fired with his right hand his left snapped his shotgun to his back.

 

            No one else did that. Jane had teased him about it in N-school.  He’d blushed and took the ribbing from her and their team in good stride but he kept doing it. No one else could even imitate it. It was such a nuanced, unique…oh God, oh God, oh God. The scars, the way he talked, the way he moved…John?

 

            “Kasumi!” John called in surprise, reaching down to yank his blade free before vaulting over his cover and charging down the way. Jane snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. She turned and focused down the field. Kasumi had decloaked to take down a merc but the merc’s partner had anticipated it and hit Kasumi. The plucky thief was staggered and her shields, already weaker than a straight up fighter, were going fast. John ran up, spraying a merc with his assault rifle, sending him to the ground. John got to Kasumi just as her shields fell, wrapping her in his arms, and covering her as the bullets hit him instead. His shields took the impact as he dragged her to the ground. Jane aimed and took out the last merc, turning his head into mist.

 

            “Thanks John,” Kasumi said, gasping for breath. John just shot her a cocky grin as he leaned against the barrier. He moved to peek over and see what the situation was when he realized Kasumi hadn’t moved away from him.

 

            “Ah, Kasumi, I need a little space here.” He said, looking at the thief in amusement. He actually saw her blush under her hood and she moved away, before cloaking.

 

            “But you’re all big and cuddly!” Kasumi quipped as she moved away. “Like a big, deadly gun wielding teddy bear!” John just shook his head and looked over the barrier. Just in time as the gunship came roaring back from under the platform.

 

~*TF*~

 

            _“What did you tell your friend, Kasumi? That you're doing this for love?”_ Hock shouted, opening firing again. Teams of dead mercs lay on the platform as the ship hovered above them.

 

            _"Even if you escape, I'll scour the galaxy for you!"_ Hock cried and Jane felt pretty sick of him.

 

            "If I can get to the ship, I can take down the shields!" Kasumi cried.

 

            "Ever been tossed up by a biotic?" Jane asked and Kasumi grinned.

 

            "No, but I like how you think," she said as another group appeared.

 

            _"Careful, men. I want to keep her pretty face intact,"_ Hock chuckled.

 

            “I got them, focus on Hock!” John shouted, moving past them women and taking cover just in front of the mercs. He opened fired a moment later stopping the mercs from getting close.

 

            "Which one do you think he was talking about," Kasumi asked.

 

            "Probably you," Jane suggested.

 

            "I need a clear path to the gunship, Shepards," Kasumi cried.

 

            "On it," John roared as he riddled a charging merc with bullets. Jane got into a stable position and cupped her hands.

 

            "I'm ready!" Jane cried as Kasumi ran at her.

 

            "Got a clear shot!" she said and Jane set her hands like a normal foot up. Timing was key as Kasumi's body was over Jane's hands, she threw the thief into the air. The ship moved right where they needed it and Kasumi landed like an acrobat. Her omnitool flared and it almost looked like she gave a head nod at Hock before leaping away. Jane was impressed as Kasumi landed in a straddle position. "Shields are down! Let's tear that thing apart." John and Jane shared a look before Jane threw a warp at the ship.

 

            _"Do what you like to this gunship. I have a squadron of them,"_ Hock cried and Jane smirked as John began firing his heavy weapon. Jane threw warp after warp before drawing her pistol and firing on the mercs.

 

            "He is asking for it," John cried.

 

            _"Too late to get out of this alive, Kasumi,"_ Hock cried as he brought his flaming ship back up. Jane took cover and threw another warp at Hock. As his ship exploded she felt satisfied.

 

            "Looks like he was right about that," Kasumi quipped and Jane nodded. The Cerberus shuttle from the Normandy came in for a landing.

 

            "Only twenty minutes later than necessary," Jane sighed as she put her weapons away.

 

            "On the plus side...Hock is dead," Kasumi added and John nodded.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The three were in the back of the shuttle. John was at the controls for monitoring Kasumi. Jane took the graybox and Kasumi pulled up her VR interface. Jane inserted the graybox. On the screen the image of a Japanese man appeared. Keiji.

 

            "Kasumi. If you are seeing this, it's because I'm dead. The information we found is all here. It's big, Kasumi. If the Council ever got wind of this...the Alliance could be implicated," Keiji said.

 

            "I feel guilty," John said as they watched and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "We are part of the Council now, we need to know too," Jane said.

 

            "Kasumi, I...I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your graybox, so no one could get the whole package. But if I'm dead, and if anyone knows about this...then I've made you a target, my love. I'm so, so sorry," Keiji said and Jane felt sorrow. They truly loved one another. Keiji died and in trying to protect the Alliance, he risked the person he cared the most about.

 

            "Keiji," Kasumi whispered in a tone that Jane felt the pain in. A memory of Kasumi and Keiji was playing. Jane turned away.

 

            "I thought we need to know," John said.

 

            "Know...I don't think we need to watch," Jane said and he nodded as he looked away from the screen as well.

 

            "I know you, Kasumi. You'll want to keep these memories forever. But you don't need some neural implant to know I'll always be with you," Keiji said and Jane knew where he would go next. "Please, Kasumi. Destroy these files. There's nothing more I can do to protect you."

 

            "I...I can't do that! This is all that's left!" Kasumi cried and Jane closed her eyes at the anguish in Kasumi's voice.

 

            "Goodbye, Kasumi. I love you," Keiji said. They were all silent for a moment before Kasumi's VR interface dropped.

 

            "Is there any way we can just destroy the information?" John asked. Good, both of them wanted to let Kasumi keep Keiji's memories.

 

            "No. Keiji's a master at encrypting files. He laced the information into his memories. You can't get one without experiencing the other," Kasumi said before looking at Jane. Jane shook her head and smiled.

 

            "You could place an Udell self-destruct program into your graybox," Jane said and Kasumi blinked.

 

            "You know about that?" she asked and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I looked up grayboxes when we first met. I know that some of the most serious users automatically put it in there, but it is considered overkill," Jane said.

 

            "What's an Udell self-destruct program?" John asked.

 

            "Insurance," Kasumi said before looking at Keiji's graybox. "It is a program that monitors my life signs. If my heart stops for over a specified amount of time, it wipes my graybox clean."

 

            "That sort of destroys the purpose of a graybox for some of the users, so it's not a standard program in the graybox," Jane said.

 

            "That's not a bad idea," John said.

 

            "It's a double edged sword," Jane said.

 

            "If I set the time too short, if my heart is restarted, I'll essentially have no memory and be as blank as a new born baby," Kasumi explained. "If I set the time too long, I could be put on life support and my files could be accessed."

 

            "If that graybox is that important to you, keep it," John said. "Just make sure you're ready to live with the consequences."

 

            "I am. I'll stay off the grid. No one will know I exist. Maybe I will install an Udell," Kasumi said and Jane nodded as she placed the graybox gently into Kasumi's hands.

 

            "This is yours," Jane said as they began docking with the Normandy.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Letter to the specified Spectres has been sent and received," Hick-John said from his VI console. Jane was finishing cleaning her weapons when her door chimed.

 

            "Thank you, Hick-John. Blasto, door," Jane ordered and Hick-John flickered off. The door opened and John entered. Jane looked at him from the floor.

 

            "You said you would talk about what happened with the Batarian slaver," he said and Jane indicated the floor. He sat down across from her and she looked out the window.

 

            "I assume you looked it up," Jane said and he shook his head.

 

            "You did a lot of missions, some of them overlapped. I didn't notice the one that was marked 'the time Jane became the Terror of the Hegemony,'" John said. Jane nodded.

 

            "An elementary school on the Citadel got permission to do a month long tour of a colony. Thirty students, five asari, seven salarians, nine humans, and nine turians ranging from eight to ten...or the asari and salarian equivalents. Two adults for each race. On the way back they got hit," Jane said as she stared out the window.

 

            "Shit," John growled at the thought of children in Batarian hands.

 

            "Both turian chaperones died first with one asari, killed in the taking of the ship. The other asari and one human were killed during the implant surgeries," Jane said. "I made it to the ship as it was getting close to Batarian space. The Okinawa used tethers and I slid down one to get to the ship. It was easy to slip in with a few programs Spectres use for overriding doors. Batarian codes are notoriously easy for those programs. Got on. Got to the bridge. I executed the pilots and left a drone which slowly changed the ship's trajectory. I was picking off the crew when I got to the hold." Jane's face was gone to the cold, killing gaze. Her eyes were glistening with tears. She glanced at John. His face was blank, taking it all in. But Jane saw something in them. Something she had hoped to see.

 

            "I opened the door and I saw them. Caged by species. Their little heads shaved and bandaged. The salarians were shaking like puppies. I killed the processor. It was too quick for what he had done to them. I used another drone to free them and get them to the shuttle. They barely fit. I was getting ready to blow the wall when two batarians appeared. One ran for the implant override while the other ran at me. I had two choices, engage or beat that son of a bitch to the override panel," Jane said. "I went for the panel of course. I wasn't going to let them blow the heads off of those children. I would be dead before I let that happen. I made it and transferred a code Tali made me to keep those bastards from using that panel ever again. I managed to throw the one into the wall hard enough to keep him down, but the second pulled a turian talon, apparently stolen from one of the chaperones to slice. If he had stabbed I wouldn't be here. But bastard wanted to take me alive. One of the salarians had opened the shuttle and shot the bastard. I opened the hold doors and they took off. The Okinawa got them and while I finished clearing the ship, the medical crew on the Okinawa began the implant removal surgeries."

 

            "Why did you get called the Terror of the Hegemony after that?" John asked and Jane turned dead eyes to him.

 

            "Because I did it. I went through and gouged out the eyes of every Batarian on that ship," Jane said. The first tear rolled down her cheek. "I did it to the corpses. They were all dead before I...desecrated the bodies. I deserve that scar, I deserve more."

 

            "Jane..." John began and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I need some alone time," Jane said and as she turned away, John could see the shimmer of more tears. "GO!" John chose to leave...for now.            

 

~*TF*~

OMAKE 1

 

            "Great, Shepard, now we have two of them!" Miranda growled at John and he blinked.

 

            "What do you mean?" John asked and Miranda pointed at Jane and Jack who were tossing Grunt back and forth in the cargo hold with their biotics.

 

            "It's fine, he likes it," John said as Grunt grinned.

 

            "Hey, Cheerleader, catch!" Jack cried and Grunt went flying at Miranda. John watched as the two rolled across the floor.

 

            "Oooh, that had to hurt," John winced as Jane and Jack went by holding hands.

 

            "Let me tell you about my best friend!" they sang.

 

 

OMAKE 2

 

            “What the hell do you want?" Jack snarled.

 

            "You're in a bad situation, and I'm going to get you out of here," John said and Jane nearly smacked her faceplate. Jack wasn't a woman to be rescued. This was not going to endear the woman to them.

 

            "Shit, you sound like a pussy," Jack said. Jane winced as John scowled. Just then a crew came storming out of the Normandy airlock led by Legion.

 

            “John-Spectre we are here to assist you in retrieving the Incarcerated-Biotic!” Legion called out but John ignored him, focusing on Jack.

 

            “Okay you listen to me you little bitch-” Jane involuntary shrieked as Jack biotically shoved John through a wall.

 

            “By the spirits!”

 

            “Holy shit!”

 

            “I’ve wanted to do that for days…”

 

            “John-Spectre, are you functional?” Legion called out to John. It was silent for a moment before John’s dazed voiced echoed out to them from the hole.

 

            “Did anyone get the number of that **bitch**?” He called.

 

            “Zero.” Jack snapped to him, smugly.

 

            “Thank-you.”

 

            “Can you get out of there, John?” Jacob called.

 

            “Eat a dick!”

 

            “Oh okay, he’s fine,” Jane said, grinning smugly at Jacob.

 

OMAKE 3

 

            "So we'll take care of the power and you get the voice sample," Kasumi said and Jane nodded.

 

            "Can do," Jane said.

 

            Shortly later.

 

            "Damn, we couldn't get into Hock's room to get a DNA sample," John sighed as the three met up.

 

            "Oh, I got that already," Jane said.

 

            "Really?" John asked before looking horrified. "Jane, tell me you didn't!"

 

            "Didn't what?" Jane said as she held up a bloody rag.

 

            "Oh..I thought...never mind," John sighed.

 

            "I was trying to get a semen sample but I accidentally head butted him when I was coming up to breathe and he got a nosebleed. Put him out of the mood, but I got blood which is better anyway," Jane said.

 

            "Ewwwww," John groaned.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle Note: So...I totally didn't know that if you look at that data pad on the veranda of Donovan Hock's mansion and then go back into the security room, you can just go into his bedroom. I have played this game probably a dozen times and...I never knew. How many other things have I missed?
> 
> Toby Note: See now I did the opposite. I knew you could sneak over by the window but I never did. Really shows you how different our play styles are.


	16. The Same but Hurt People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tempers run high between the Shepard twins, especially with a suspicious Jane pushing John when he doesn't need it. A teammate falls while another is injured in a dashing rescue attempt. This chapter begins to show the fall of the dominoes as a world with two Shepards starts to make ripples that have unpredictable effects.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Toby’s Note: Okay so I don’t normally want to do this at the beginning of a chapter (I usually save these for the notes at the end of a chapter) but I need to say this to people (who seem to be getting angrier and angrier) about the ME2 arc focusing on Jane.
> 
> Jane didn’t die. John was dead/in a coma for two years. During that time Jane was alone. With how close we made the Shepards and not losing anyone on Virmire, John’s death really messed Jane up. She was lost, adrift and hurting. She just drifted away and most of the people closest to her weren’t in position to help her or they left (*coughs*Kaidan*coughs*. Jane’s issues are forefront right now because John almost time traveled in away. For him, it’s still becoming a reality. He was firmly in the denial phase of accepting that he’s lost two years of his life and last chapter he had a firm shove past that stage. John has issues but they’re developing. Also, about Jane being super-human biotic and John being a nothing soldier…um hello? He gripped his pistol so hard when he found out about Cerberus resurrecting him he cracked it. He also ripped a YMIR mech’s head off and he took on a Krogan one on one, basically beating him to death. Jane did that and almost died. So yeah, John’s stronger. 
> 
> Reading all those comments last chapter I just wanted to shout, “Too soon! Most of these are addressed in the future!” Trust us folks, everything has a purpose but we agreed we’d be realistic. (I know! In a fanfic based in a universe set in the future that involves giant mecha-squid and space powers, crazy right?) We wanted these people to be real and issues take time to be addressed and even come up. 
> 
> However, to those of you who left the wonderful comments and are seeing the Shepards storyline coming together, thank you. We love that you love the Shepard interactions between them and how they react to the crew. This chapter especially we were thinking of you guys. Just an aside but those Jane/John interactions and conversations are actually developed line by line between Belle and I. I’ll e-mail her John’s response and some description, she’ll e-mail me back Jane’s response and so forth. Those are the most time consuming but most fun for us. I hope you enjoy them too.
> 
> Enjoy fifteen folks. I promise growth, action and character development. 
> 
> Belle's Note: *stares at Toby's note before smirking evilly at the readers* Unlike Toby, I love it when you guys freak out about what you love and what you hate, especially because Toby and I have been planning this story out. We have been writing TF for four years now. We knew some parts that were going to happen from the beginning and others that we hash out as we get closer to the point in the plot. We knew John would die and Jane would live early on and we have been coming up with ways that would affect their relationship since the first chapters. If you enjoy this story, don't worry, we have a lot of plans regarding what will happen. Nothing we write is without a purpose. We fight a lot about this story, but I think that is what makes this story even better. Enjoy. 
> 
> Oh and that line about John being stronger...physically yes he is, but I think of John and Jane as a war hammer and a katana. They are both powerful weapons, but each has their limitations. When pitted against one another it all depends on the warrior using them on who would win a true battle.

Chapter 15: The Same but Hurt People

 

Earth Date: January 27th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR-2, In Transit

 

            _The Citadel burned. The trees in the Presidium were already charred husks, the flowers and bushes were right behind them. Here and there a body lay. Most of them children but John recognized some of his friends amongst them. A low moan rose in the back of his throat as he saw Liara’s body wrapped around a little Asari who looked just like her but had cream colored markings around her forehead and crest. He was about to run over to them when Jane’s voice tore his attention away from them._

_“You could have prevented all this you know,” Jane commented idly. John looked over at his sister. She looked exhausted with her hair askew on her head and every bit of her was covered with grime, soot, and smears of blood. His twin’s blue eyes were full of grief and regret. “If you had been here from the start we could have saved them. We could have saved them all.”_

_“I didn’t want to be gone! It wasn’t my choice!” John countered angrily. Jane shrugged at him and knelt down. John finally noticed the corpse at her feet. It was Miranda. The Cerberus agent hadn’t gone easy judging by the wounds and scorch marks on her body. To John’s horror Jane began to carve out her eyes. “God damn you Jane, you don’t have to do this!”_

_“Silly John,” Jane chided as she kept at her gruesome work. “How else will they know we were the ones who stopped them? Reapers and Cerberus, they all need to be shown what happens to you when you try to destroy what is ours.”_

_“Not like this!” John screamed. He wanted to move forward but couldn’t. He had to stop her. Grab the knife, stop the horror. Jane paused and smiled up at him and as he strained, trying to just reach out and stop her._

_“Well you weren’t around to show me another way, were you? You’re dead. Silly John.” Jane chided, resuming her work. This time the body at her feet was Garrus._

_“I’m not dead!” John screamed, still unable to step forward and stop her. Jane just chuckled before whistling Olly, Olly Oxen Free._

_“Yes, you are very dead and welcome to Hell, John. All because you failed me.”_

_“I’m not dead! I-”_

 

            “-didn’t fail you!” John screamed, bolting upright in bed. His heart was pounding in his chest and he was covered in sweat. He glanced over to the clock on the nightstand. Almost zero four hundred on the dot. John scrubbed at his face for a moment before getting out of bed. He shook his head, trying to shake the nightmare off as he staggered to his bathroom, the room barely lit by the empty fish tank. He’d been up to nearly midnight, just thinking about what Jane had told him. Guilt had eaten away at him and apparently didn’t want him to get any real rest either. Jane had gotten lost without him. She’s kept guard at the abyss so long that the abyss had also touched her. He could understand her hate of the slavers. God just listening to her he had felt it swell within him but to mutilate them. To deny their belief of their afterlife just to…

 

            John turned on the sink faucet and splashed some on his face. He took a moment to calm himself, grasping the sink tightly as he stared down into it. He finally looked up into the mirror and froze. Eyes, gleaming with red stared back at him.

 

            _“Yes, you are very dead and welcome to Hell, John.”_ John screamed in anger and just a bit of fear before smashing a fist into the mirror. He took great gasping breaths as the lights in the bathroom and the Captain’s cabin blazed to life. He stared at himself, breathing hard with wild eyes. The red glow was the same glow he had noticed under his eyes when he first looked himself over. The effect had seemed to be magnified in the near dark of the bathroom.

 

            “John, are you alright?” EDI’s voice called out to him from her hologram in the main part of the cabin. John took a deep breath and eased his fist from the shattered mirror, hissing in pain as he did. He’d sliced his right hand open over his knuckles and the back of his fingers pretty good.

 

            “I’m fine EDI,” he called out to her. He paused and considered for a moment. “Is Mordin still up or is he taking his hour of sleep?”

 

            “The Professor is currently cataloging his experiments and testing schedule for the day. He has been up for the past few minutes. Would you like me to have him meet you in the infirmary?” EDI inquired. John nodded and headed back into the main room to get dressed.

 

            “Yeah, that would be great EDI. And keep this between us, would you?”

 

            “Of course, Shepard.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane slipped into the forward battery when the noise in the galley dropped. She had noticed the nervousness of the crew around her and made it a point to avoid the Cerberus crewmembers. She had spent some time getting to know Kasumi and Jack, but she had other plans for today. Garrus looked over his shoulder before turning.

 

            "Shepard, need me for something?" he asked and Jane noticed something beside the main guns.

           

            "Is that a mattress?" she asked and he shrugged.

           

            "Someone left it in the galley, since I don't fit in a human sleeper pod, this works best," he commented and Jane smirked. Looks like Miranda's beloved, custom mattress was supporting a turian every night. It made a petty part of her giddy with that knowledge.

 

            "I was just here to talk," Jane said and Garrus nodded. "Got a minute for that?"

 

            "Sure. Just checking the weapon systems. You can never be too careful. I thought I'd seen every weapon in the galaxy in our fight against Saren. Mercenary work showed me otherwise," Garrus said as Jane moved to lean against the railing behind the main guns. "And now Cerberus rebuilds the Normandy with a few upgrades to boot. I wish we'd joined up with them sooner."

 

            "I certainly haven't joined Cerberus," Jane spat and Garrus' mandibles flared. A nervous gesture, she mentally swore, Garrus wasn't the problem. "I'm using them to fund my Spectre mission, you know that." She gave him a look. "I don't mean to be snappish."

 

            "Relax, Shepard. Just a figure of speech, besides, you risked a full on allergic reaction keeping me in one piece on Omega. I can't exactly doubt your judgment though, not after I got my own squad killed," Garrus said and Jane stood up, approaching him. Garrus had lost a team, she knew exactly how painful it was to be the only person walking away from a mission.

 

            "What did your merc squad do? It didn't sound like you were putting yourselves up for hire," Jane asked and Garrus' face turned cold, hard. It surprised Jane, did she look like that when she thought about Akuze?

 

            “You saw Omega, it was full of thugs kicking the helpless. I formed my team to kick back," Garrus said and Jane whistled.

 

            "On Omega that was really dangerous," she said and he nodded.

           

            "We weren't mercenaries. At least, nobody was paying us. We made money by taking down slavers, pirates, or gangs that went too far," he said and Jane listened. Full vigilante behavior. It was courageous...and stupid. Jane whispered a thanks to God for letting her reach Garrus in time.

 

            "It doesn't sound like you made any friends with the gangs," Jane commented and Garrus smirked. It didn't look like a happy expression.

 

            "I got three separate merc bands to work together to take me down. My manager at C-Sec would be impressed. It was simple. We'd hit their shipments, disrupt activities. Get under their skin. Make them angry. They'd come charging right into our well-prepared kill-zone. Crossfire and snipers, clean and surgical. They never stood a chance," he said and Jane nodded. She would have done the same.

 

            "Not bad with what you had and on Omega," Jane said.

 

            "Everyone in my band had lost someone to the gangs. We weren't out to make it rich, just get them to think twice about what they were doing," Garrus said and Jane respected that. "I learned a lot watching you." Jane winced at that, she regretted deeply her title from the Hegemony. Garrus was probably on the same path she was, she didn't want that for him. She wanted him to have better, she hadn't been there for him, she needed some answers. 

 

            "So how did you end up fighting mercenaries on Omega?" she asked and he gave her a sheepish look.

 

            "I never got to tell you, but I got tapped as a potential for the Spectre program after the Normandy was destroyed," he said and Jane's jaw dropped.

 

            "What?" she gasped and he looked down before back up.

 

            "I didn't want to get your hopes up, for turians, the process has conditions. I was training to become a Spectre but it didn't work. Too much politicking at the Citadel. Nobody was willing to take risks," he said and Jane worried.

 

            "Did I get you blacklisted?" she asked and he shook his head.

 

            "I was out of the program by the time you took on Dirake, when you came back in the state you were in...it was bad, Shepard," he said and Jane blinked. Tela had told her little about Jane's time in the coma, just that Garrus had been there every day and then had vanished.

 

            "What do you mean, it was bad?" Jane asked and Garrus gave her a look. He tapped the back of his head.

 

            "When the surgery to remove your old implant was done, you were in bad shape. I heard some of the chatter. The damage done to your skull was too extensive for a replacement L3 and most of the doctors doubted there was enough proper bone structure at the site for proper L4 implantation. If the Spectres you befriended didn't step up and get that L5...I don't think you'd be here," he said and Jane stared at him. Tela made the implant seem like no big deal. "I stayed until you were confirmed to wake up. That's when I left. I knew I could nothing about the mess on the Citadel, but Omega....Omega was filled with criminals nobody else could touch, and there was no red tape to slow me down. It was a perfect fit. People there needed someone to believe in like you. I knew you would work on the Citadel. I would go small, I could be someone to stand up to the local thugs on Omega." Jane's heart ached. Garrus wanted to be like her, had seen her fall and survive, no thanks to the Council apparently. Although Jane suspected Anderson might have done something...Tela and Chirum just beat him to the punch. Garrus had left knowing Jane was fine to fight the big battle while he handled what he felt he could. Brave, courageous, and just this side of crazy. 

 

            "That explains how you started. How'd you end up with a squad?" she asked and Garrus looked proud.

 

            "Not too different from how you two formed your squad to fight Saren, actually. You prove that you get things done and people join up. Mercs who wanted to atone. Security consultants tired of playing by the rules. I gave them hope...and now they're dead. Shows what I know," he said and Jane reached out to place hand on his shoulder.

 

            "I know how it feels to be the only one to walk away," Jane said and Garrus stared at her with his piercing blue eyes. "How did those bastards get your men?" Garrus looked at her before turning and pacing.

 

            "It was my own damn fault. One of my people betrayed me. A turian named Sidonis. He drew me away just before the mercs attacked my squad, then he disappeared. Everyone except me is dead because of him. And because I didn't see it coming," Garrus said, a low growl entering his voice. Anger, rage, betrayal. Yeah, Jane knew that feeling. Every time she thought too long about Cerberus, the knowledge that they set up Akuze, they set it up for her men to die, that Toombs' torture existed, it made her feel that way. It made her sick to realize Garrus felt that way. However, killing Cerberus agents to stop them from committing crimes hadn't made Jane feel better.

 

            "Do you know where Sidonis is now?" she asked and he stopped, turning to look at her.

 

            "No. His trail vanishes after he leaves Omega. But I'll keep hunting. I lost my whole team expect for Sidonis. One day I'll find him...and correct that," Garrus said coolly. Jane recognized that tone. A killing tone. Garrus broke eye contact. "Thanks for coming by, Shepard. I've got something to take care of." He started to walk by and Jane grabbed his arm. She didn't look at him, she didn't want to see his killing face, she didn't want him to see the conflicted look on hers. Garrus knew humans better than most turians, so he might know the expression on her face and she didn't trust it.

 

            "I'm with you, Garrus, I have your six now, whenever you need me," Jane said.

 

            "You could have died giving me medical treatment getting me off Omega," he said and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I'm dextro tolerant, you can't kill me bleeding on me," she said as she let go and headed past the sleeper pods. She needed to distract herself, maybe a few asari exercises would get her to focus. Hovering over the ground took her mind off things...like her own flaws.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The cargo bay was empty most of the time. After the supplies were stored and the shuttle checked over the crew usually locked it down and left. There were crates here and there and even some consoles near the doors to help take inventory when needed. The only time it was opened was when Gardner would make a supply trip or if the ground team went through on their way to the shuttle. It was usually quiet and if you found the right spot between crates you were even hidden from view from the spare rooms on the engineering deck. Which was why John was there now. He’d drug a spare punching bag and stand from the armory shortly after Mordin had patched him up and set it up in the corner hidden by some crates. He given EDI orders to have Joker set course for Omega and then he’d started hitting the bag.

 

            For hours he’d slammed his fists into the bag. Again and again he hit, practicing everything he could think of, trying to clear his mind. Not that it was working.

 

            With a meaty thump his left fist hit the bag.

 

            _-an elementary school-_

 

            His right fist slammed into the bag. Thump!

 

            - _thirty students-_

 

            His left again. Thump!

 

            - _I executed the pilots-_

 

            This time it was a kick with his right leg. Thump!

 

            -t _heir little heads shaved and bandaged-_

 

            Another fist. Thump!

 

            - _bastard wanted to take me alive-_

 

            Another. Thump!

 

            - _I did it-_

 

            Thump!

 

            - _I...desecrated the bodies-_

 

            THUMP!

 

            - _I deserve-_

 

            THUMP!

 

            - _you could have prevented all this-_

Thump, thump, thump!

 

            - _you failed me-_

Thumpthumpthumpthu-CRACK!

 

            “Shit!” John snarled, pulling his left hand back from the punching bag as it swung free from the stand, two of the chains barely holding it as the third hung lazily in the air. John hadn’t even realized it had given until he’d smashed his left fist into the chain as it swung between his fist and the heavy bag. He began to unwrap his hands as he made his way to the elevator. He ignored the bag as it hung lopsided on the stand and moved into the elevator. He jabbed the button for the crew deck as he finished unwrapping his hands. The middle of his left hand was swelling but didn’t look broken. Shaking his hands out he took a deep breath before checking his omni-tool. A little after eight hundred. They should be arriving at Omega soon to resupply. Then he’d check the dossiers over and decide who to recruit next. Maybe put it out on Omega that they were looking for information on the Collectors. He could get Jane’s opinion as well, she might have some contacts he didn’t. As the doors opened John mulled things over as he headed to get breakfast. He didn’t even realize most of the crew was up, having breakfast while the night shift finished. In his own head, he strolled over to the kitchen to grab a breakfast tray and coffee still soaked with sweat. After getting his meal he turned and found Zaeed standing there, glaring at him.

 

            “We need to talk Shepard. Now.” Zaeed growled and John sighed.

 

            “Can it wait a bit? I want to eat and we’re due to dock Omega for resupply soon. After that’s done-”

 

            “No, it can’t!” Zaeed barked making John blink in surprise. “If we wait any longer Vido will hand off the day to day control to someone else! Then I’ll have lost my chance!”

 

            “Zaeed if you’d just calm down and-”

 

            “I’m not going to calm down, Shepard. You agreed to do this and you’ll damn well help me out! If they get dug in anymore it’ll be impossible to get in!” Zaeed snarled. “I wanted to sneak in during rotation when they bring in more refinery workers!”

 

            “What workers?” Jane spoke up. John glanced to his right and saw Jane approaching from her room. She was also soaked with sweat, making John wonder what kind of training she could do in that cabin.

 

            “The Blue Suns didn’t kill the workers. They just work for them now.” Zaeed growled and John scowled. He turned and tossed his tray back on the kitchen counter before focusing back on Zaeed again.

 

            “You _never_ mentioned hostages when you told me about this on Omega!” John snapped and Zaeed rolled his good eye.

 

            “They didn’t matter! Are we going or not?” Zaeed demanded. John growled to himself.

 

            “Son of a bitch, yes we are!” John snapped storming off to give orders to Joker to do an immediate course change.

 

            “You’re lucky we have to hit the relay in the Ismar Frontier anyways to get to Omega!” Jane said as she followed him onto the elevator. John said nothing but just growled as he jabbed a finger for the command deck.

 

            "How much do you know about Zaeed?" Jane asked after a moment. John frowned and shook his head before forwarding her the message he received from the Illusive Man about Zaeed. Jane looked it over before frowning too.

           

            "Do you have anyone you could see about getting more information from?" John asked and Jane nodded.

 

            "I'll check in with some friends...I know a few retired Spectres who might be useful," Jane said and John gave her a look.

 

            "There are retired Spectres?" he asked and Jane looked at him before flicking at her omni-tool.

 

            "Not many. Looks like only the smartest and fastest get out of this job alive," Jane replied as she headed back to her room.       

 

~*TF*~

 

            Earth Date: January 27th, 2186 CE

            Location: Ismar Frontier, Faia System, Planet Zorya

 

            As soon as the shuttle doors opened a wave hot, muggy air hit them. Zaeed led them out and as John’s boots hit the muddy ground he felt himself break out into a sweat. He followed Zaeed as he led the way deeper into the jungle just outside the facility. As Zaeed patched them into Blue Suns communications, John glanced at his sister. Jane kept shooting him looks. He knew she had expected him to try and talk to her about what she had told him the day before. To be honest he didn’t know how to. It had finally hit him, truly hit him. He’d lost two years. Two years of life. Two years of his sister’s life, of Liara’s, Garrus’s, Tali’s, everyone’s lives. They mourned him, _buried_ him, and tried to move on. What could he do? How could he judge Jane, what Jane had done, everything that had happened when he wasn’t there? He was lost in his own thoughts, barely registering Zaeed talking or the Blue Sun’s chatter as he thought. Jane had become a Spectre, truly embraced it. She’d stood guard and he’d not been there. How could he help her now?

 

            “-been spotted!” Jane shouted, breaking John out of his thoughts. Zaeed had led them to an outlying part of facility. John took cover as the Blue Suns opened fire. John moved to cover behind a large rock and pulled out his rifle. He put it out of his mind as he forced himself to focus on the job. He glanced over his cover to take it in the situation. A dozen mercs, three Fenris mechs. No problem. He leaned out of cover and opened fire on the mechs. They came to halt, trying to locate John but he never let up, eventually shredding them to pieces with his assault rifle. He ducked back down to reload and narrowed his eyes when he saw Zaeed lob a grenade into a group of Blue Suns. It exploded, engulfing them in flames. Even as they screamed John just scowled. Zaeed had grenades. John grumbled and popped back up to fire again. Damn it, when they got to Omega to resupply he was getting grenades. After a few minutes they finished clearing out the mercs. They moved past the facility towards a small access bridge over a ravine. John pressed the bridge override as their comms sounded out with Vido's voice.

 

            _"This is Commander Santiago. If any of you retreat while the intruders are still alive, I'll kill you myself,"_ Vido growled and John stopped the bridge at Zaeed's sign. _"Now, get the hell back out there."_

 

            "Vido. Sounds like he hasn't changed," Zaeed growled and the twins shared a look.

 

            "Speaking of which, you formed the Blue Sun's with him, how did he cut you out of that operation?" John asked. Jane had been able to supply John with some background information on Vido. Zaeed was a crazy sly merc who had done some things Jane could barely believe one man could do and survive, although, she was starting to build a reputation similar to his but he had her beat by a few decades.

 

            "He ran the books, I led the men. Worked real well for a while. Then Vido decided to start hiring batarians. Cheaper labor, he said. Goddamn terrorists, I said," Zaeed growled. "He turned my men against me. He paid six of them to restrain me while he put a gun to my head and pulled the trigger."

 

            "Impressive survival," Jane said, her gaze flickering to John as Zaeed turned on her. Glaring at her with his dead eye.

 

            "Yeah. And you survived a krogan beating your implant to pieces while it was still in your skull. Your brother survived getting disintegrated. A stubborn enough person can survive just about anything," Zaeed said and Jane shrugged as she kept her gaze on his good eye. "Rage is a hell of an anesthetic." Jane would have to remember that line.         

 

            "Twenty years is a long time to hold a grudge," John commented and rage crossed Zaeed's face in a way that made Jane's hand move to her gun. Zaeed's eyes were killing eyes and they were aimed at John.

 

            "For twenty years, I've seen that bastard every time I closed my eyes. Every time I sighted down on a target. Every time I heard a gunshot. So, don't call it a goddamn grudge!" Zaeed snarled, spit flying from his mouth. Jane wondered just what would happened if this mission failed. Twenty years of this much hate was dangerous.

 

            "We better get moving," Jane said and John started the bridge again. As it closed the gap Zaeed was in the lead again.

 

            "They know we're here. Bring it on, you son of a bitch!" he snarled.           

 

~*TF*~

 

            As Zaeed led them into the gate house John froze as a voice above them spoke.

 

            “Zaeed Massani, you finally tracked me down.” John looked up to the catwalk above them and couldn’t help but sigh. Vido was standing with a team of Blue Suns all around him, looking down at them.

 

            “Vido.” Zaeed growled, going to his gun. Vido grunted, uncrossing his arms.

 

            “Don’t be stupid, Zaeed. I have a whole company of bloodthirsty bastards behind me, ready to be kill or be killed on my command.” Vido growled down at them. John exchanged a look of worry with Jane, who returned it. “Actually, take your shot. Give my men a reason to put you down like the mad dog you are. Again.”

 

            John caught Zaeed looking at him and received a nod. Zaeed yanked his assault rifle out, opening fire at the mercs, forcing them to take cover. John and Jane bolted right as Zaeed went left. John vaguely heard Vido say something but it was drowned out from Zaeed firing again. He must have hit what he was aiming for because the refinery line running over the catwalk exploded.

 

            “I know Zaeed is a loose cannon but shit!” Jane exclaimed. John grunted in agreement.

 

            “You just signed your death warrant Massani!” Vido shouted down at Zaeed just before the mercs began to open fire at Zaeed. Apparently, they had completely forgotten the Shepards were there. Zaeed didn’t seem fazed by it at all and began to beat on a relief valve with his gun.

 

            “What the hell are you doing?” John shouted at him. Zaeed ignored him, beating on the valve till it gave. The lines running under the gate house and to the refinery ignited and burst open. The mercs screamed as the explosions tossed them off the catwalk or incinerated them. John stood up and watched in awe struck disbelief as the refinery line continued to ignite, blowing the gate doors open but then continuing down the line until it hit the refinery. The refinery seemed to shudder and large explosion shook the ground as portions of the refinery ignited and gave. John growled and stormed up to Zaeed.

 

            “We don’t sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of the mission!” John snapped, “There’s _always_ a better way!” He missed Jane giving a startled jerk behind him.

 

            “Like what?” Zaeed shouted, gesturing wildly. “Wandering around the jungle for hours looking for another way in? You want to waste time out there, go ahead! I’m going to kill Vido!” Jane let out a noise behind John as he swung his fist and punched Zaeed in the face. Zaeed staggered back and clutched at his face, glaring at John. Jane had her pistol in her hands, she was ready to take a shot if Zaeed even breathed the wrong way.

 

            “You’re endangering lives, and the mission, for your own selfish reasons!” John barked.

 

            “You _really_ want to do this John?” Zaeed growled, scowling at John. Jane's eyes were on Zaeed's hands on his rifle. He was deranged, and as much as she hated to think it, but Vido might be right about Zaeed being a mad dog.

 

            “I should knock you out and leave you here.” John snarled. “But thanks to you we now have a burning refinery to save.”

 

            “Let these people burn!” Zaeed snapped, gesturing wildly. “Vido dies, whatever the cost!”

 

            “Like hell!” John scoffed, moving towards the door, ignoring Zaeed. John drew his weapon and headed inside the complex but caught a glimpse of Jane. She hadn’t said anything since the bridge but she appeared to be deep in thought. John quickly gunned down two mercs who were trying to bar the way. He stormed down the walkway past them, avoiding the bursting pipes and heading for the closest door. As Zaeed swore and began to move, Jane snapped out of her trance and followed, quick to catch up to John. A door opened on a catwalk above them and a man ran out of the burning building.

 

            “John, above and behind us.” Jane spoke up behind him. John stopped and turned. The worker was running down the overhead walkway towards them.

 

            “Help, we’re tapped!” he screamed down at them. “We can’t get to the gas valves to shut them off! The whole place is going to blow!”

 

            “Let’s go,” John said instantly, heading for the railing edge to jump down to the access door behind them to the area the worker had run from. Jane stayed behind Zaeed in case the merc decided to disagree.

 

            “There’s no time. Vido’s probably halfway to the shuttle docks by now.” Zaeed replied. John stopped and turned, not surprised to see Zaeed hadn’t followed him but he was surprised that Jane was standing behind Zaeed with a black look on her face. John felt his temper spike again and he snarled, grabbing Zaeed by the front of his armor, dragging him towards him.

 

            “We’re here to free these people,” John hissed at him. “We’re going in.” John shoved Zaeed away from him, before shaking his head. He shot Jane a disappointed look before going to the railing and vaulting over. Jane blinked at the look, he thought she agreed with Zaeed?

 

            “I knew this was a mistake to bring him.” Zaeed growled to Jane. “I should have just brought you, Jane.”

 

            "Fuck you, I put civilian lives before revenge," Jane said as she waited for him to jump the railing. Zaeed shot her a look.

 

            "I forgot, you butcher the bodies after they're already dead," he shot back and Jane felt like he had punched her in the gut. She glared at him as they walked in.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The room with the valves was engulfed in fire. Jane quickly pulled on her helmet to help with the breathing. Her visor locked onto the valve locations as John pulled on his own helmet.

 

            _"Can you see the valves?"_ John asked and Jane nodded. _"Take point."_

 

            _"On it,"_ she replied. As they headed in she heard a pipe begin to give and threw up a barrier around them, protecting them as a chunk of metal flew at them and flame followed. She began to jog through the building and as they passed a window the workers were pounding on, trying to get their attention.

 

            _"The doors won't open until the fire is out!"_ one cried out over the speakers as they reached the first valve. Jane quickly put in the command to turn it on. They raced up and around, detoured as the pipes around them ruptured. Jane took the last walkway at a sprint, John close behind as she activated the sprinklers.

 

            "I'll take point again," John said as he removed his helmet. Jane nodded and took off her own helmet as they watched the workers evacuate.

 

"We haven't seen many Blue Suns." John noted as they entered the next room and sure as shit two turians were waiting. "Fucking Murphy." They were able to take out the two quickly but the refining room revealed a lot more back up.

 

            “Damn it,” Zaeed snarled and Jane had to agreement with that statement.

 

~*TF*~

 

            John was scowling as they moved past the remains of YMIR mech. All Zaeed’d done during the firefight after they’d saved the workers was grumble about Vido trying to delay them. John felt the man had a point. The access and storage room just before the shuttle pad was filled with mercs and even a YMIR mech. It had cost them precious time to clear the way. Now they were heading towards the loading doors. They opened as they got close and a gunship was turning away to leave.

           

            _“Not this time Zaeed you son of a bitch!”_ Vido called out over the ship's speakers as it began to fly away. _“See you in another twenty years!”_

 

            As they skidded to halt on the platform Zaeed let out a scream of rage, opening fire with his assault rifle. John watched a few of the rounds actually hit the gunship but it kept flying away. He sighed and came up behind Zaeed who was still pulling the trigger, despite the gun being over heated. Jane watched Zaeed with caution, her hand on her pistol again. John watched the gunship fly over the horizon and shook his head. He focused on Zaeed who was shaking and smacking his rifle before popping out the heat sink. Before John could even blink Zaeed swung his rifle up to John. John reacted in an instant and drew his pistol on Zaeed. He missed seeing Jane kick the hot heat sink away from a streak of fuel before she drew on Zaeed as well.

 

            “You just cost me twenty years of my life!” Zaeed snarled. John looked Zaeed dead in the eyes and missed Jane moving to flank Zaeed. His body language spoke of a man on the edge, ready to kill. Jane could not let this John die, he could be her brother and if he wasn't, he had a lot to answer for. Zaeed would not be the one to that from happening.

 

            “I promise I’ll help you track him down after the mission is over but I won’t apologize for saving the workers first.” John retorted. Zaeed snarled and-

 

            Jane’s pistol roared and a round punched through Zaeed’s temple and exited the other side. The merc dropped to the ground dead and John whirled to face Jane.

 

Jane stared at Zaeed's body, her face was still in her kill mode but her brain was stunned. She had pulled the trigger so fast. The only times she had ever responded so fast to a threat was when John was in danger. Did her body instinctively react to this John as if he were her brother or...could he...no...she still had to be analytical. Zaeed had his weapon aimed for a head shot that would kill John and his finger was squeezing, she had just been at a good angle to see it.

 

            “Jane I was talking him down!” John snapped. Jane shot him a blank look and holstered her pistol. Her hand closed in a clench. She had killed Zaeed without a second thought. His finger had squeezed and she couldn't let him blow John's head off. Not until she knew it was him or not.

 

            “He was slipping his finger on the trigger, what did you want me to do?” she replied. John was about to say something and bit his tongue. He realized Jane had a better angle on Zaeed and would have seen his fingers moving on the gun.

  
            “Thank you,” John allowed. Jane blinked, surprised at John’s simple and polite thank you. She watched as he knelt by Zaeed to check his pulse before closing the man’s eyes. He sighed before fishing a compressed body bag from a slot on his belt. He expanded it and set it next to Zaeed. Jane came over and helped him place Zaeed's body into the bag and thought about what she had done.

 

            "This is going to cause trouble," Jane said and John looked at her.

 

            "It would be nice to have an experienced merc on the ground team, but we can manage..." John began before Jane held up her hand.

 

            "That's not what I was talking about," she said and John froze before looking at Zaeed and he nodded as he realized what she was saying. "I'm not the most trusted member of the crew."

 

            "Not to speak ill of the recently deceased, but neither was Zaeed," John replied.

 

            "I think Grunt liked him," Jane said and John blinked at that.

 

            "How did you know that?" he asked.

 

            "I went to talk to Jack about training and I heard him talking to Zaeed before and after I left," Jane said. "That's beyond the point. Miranda is looking for a reason to kick me from the Normandy."

 

            "That's not happening," John said coldly. Jane stared at him for a moment before looking at the body bag as John zipped it up.

 

            “You believe I didn’t have a choice?” Jane questioned after a few minutes of silence. John didn’t reply right away.

 

            “I believe you,” John said, standing up. “I always believe you. I just think there’s another way sometimes.”

 

            Jane stared at him as she dusted her hands off and looked at the direction Vido went.

 

            "I agree," she said and John froze. "There is always another way, but sometimes, the way we chose to take is the wrong one. “What do we tell the crew?”

 

            “The truth. He was going to kill me so you killed him.” John replied. Jane shot John a look.

 

            “The Cerberus crew members might not like that.” Jane countered and John grunted.

 

            “I don’t care.” John replied before turning on his comms. “You did the right thing this time.”

 

            Jane stared at his back as he summoned the shuttled. She stared down at her hand, she had reacted so fast, she had fired the second the muscles in Zaeed's fingers had tensed. She was fast, but she hadn't reacted like that in...about two years. Her eyes moved to John's back and once again she was torn.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The two Shepards lowered the body bag into the prepped body storage unit, it looked like a Cerberus brand coffin in Jane's opinion. As the two headed for the elevator, it opened to reveal Miranda. Her eyes passed from the body storage unit to Jane. It was clear what she was thinking.

 

            "What the hell is wrong with you?" she demanded and Jane stared at Miranda.

 

            "I protected your science experiment," she shot back and Miranda sneered at her.

 

            "You shot Zaeed, do you know how difficult it was to get him to join this effort?" Miranda cried.

 

            "You sound heartbroken about it," Jane snapped, she was still not sure how to feel about Zaeed. She had killed plenty of mercs, but she felt weird. Maybe John could have talked Zaeed down, he made Saren blow his own brains out to try and save them...a fat lot of good that had ended up doing...but that was John and this...she had protected this John as fast as she had protected that one.

 

            "Save it," John ordered. “We will meet in the conference room in twenty minutes," he ordered.

 

            "Yes, Commander," Miranda said and Jane continued past her as they headed into the elevator. The ride up was quiet until they reach the crew deck.

 

            “Wait for me in the conference room after you change Jane.” John ordered. Jane shot him a look but headed out. After the doors closed the elevator headed up to the captain’s quarters. John shot Miranda a look.

 

            "Mission debrief after I get this armor off. Wait for me, understood?" John replied and Miranda frowned in irritation. 

 

            “Yes, Commander,” she replied and John sighed. The few minutes to change passed too fast and soon enough Jane and Miranda were glaring at each other in the conference room as they waited for John.

 

            "You're a danger to this crew," Miranda sneered after she got tired of waiting and Jane gave her a cold look.

 

            "I never denied that I was," Jane said and Miranda's biotics flickered. "I wouldn't do that, cheerleader. I am stronger than you."

           

            "You haven't seen me in action," Miranda shot back and Jane grinned.

           

            "But I have, running away from an Alliance strike team. Very impressive, it must be nice to be the package people protect instead of a soldier," Jane stated and Miranda glared.

 

            "You get people killed Spectre, your teams always seem to die and you manage to walk away, how do you do that?" Miranda growled and Jane felt her biotics start to flicker to life too.

 

            "Who let you two be alone?" John groaned as he walked in. Jane cut her biotics, she didn't need to start a fist fight with Miranda that the cheerleader would lose.

 

            "Shepard you need to do something about her. She is dangerous to this crew. Her anti-Cerberus sentiments are well known and she is a threat to every member of this crew," Miranda stated and Jane smirked as she leaned against the wall.

           

            "That's a lie, Garrus, Grunt, Mordin, Kasumi, Jack, Joker, and Chakwas are perfectly safe," Jane said.

 

            "You slaughtered Zaeed without a care! Anyone of the crew could be next!" Miranda cried. "This will only make the crew more nervous around her!" Jane crossed her arms.

 

            "I protected John, isn't that what you wanted. I didn't see you running through fire to save factory workers and protecting him. If you wanted him with a hole through his forehead and that brain you supposedly worked so hard to keep intact, then you should thank me," Jane sneered.

 

            "I should have made it so EDI would eject you into the void of space," Miranda hissed at Jane, biotic light beginning to flicker around her.

 

            "That eager to have a shot at a second resurrection?" Jane snapped, her own biotics gathering.

 

            “Okay stop!” John snapped, as he slammed on palm on the conference table, causing both women to cut their biotics. He glared at both of them as they looked at him. Miranda flinched but kept scowling and Jane just looked at him with cold eyes. “What happened to Zaeed was Zaeed’s fault. He was a loose cannon and I trust Jane when she says that he was going to shoot me, he was going to shoot me!”

 

            Jane shot Miranda a smug smirk and Miranda huffed. John focused on Jane.

 

            “Jane you know what Miranda says is true. They don’t trust you. You don’t socialize much and I've never seen you train with anyone. Not even Garrus. No one sees you except at meal times. I’d like you to spend more time getting to know the crew. Ground team and Normandy personnel. Understood?” John stated. Jane blinked, taken a back but nodded. She had been training in her room since she got tired of being stared at by the crew. She had trained a few times with Jack but they purposely waited until the majority of the crew were asleep or engrained in their work.

 

            “I know neither of you trust the other.” John said, gesturing to the two women. “However, I lead this team and I trust you both. There will be no more talk about either of you putting the other off this ship or even killing the other from now on. Am I understood?”

 

            “As you wish, John,” Miranda snapped. Jane just kept staring at the Cerberus doctor coldly.

 

            “Am I understood, _Jane_?” John demanded. Jane shot him a look and then sighed.

 

            “Fine,” Jane drawled. “I get the message. You lead the team, I’m just here as an observer.”

 

            “No, you’re here because I trust you,” John clarified. Jane seemed startled at that and he turned to Miranda. “Give us a minute, would you?”

 

            “But Shepard, the Illusive Man wanted to speak with you.” Miranda protested and John waved a hand at her.

 

            “I’ll call him when I can. Go on, give us the room,” John ordered. Miranda eyed them for a moment before leaving in a huff.

 

            “I told you that she would try to use this against me,” Jane said the moment the doors were closed and John rolled his eyes.

 

            “Well, maybe if they knew you like I do she wouldn’t have done that,” John stated.

 

            “You don’t know me anymore!” Jane snapped. John raised an eyebrow at that as Jane immediately looked shocked that she had said that. Jane swore in her head, this wasn't John, not for sure.  

 

            “Maybe not like I did but I’m going to learn all I can about the new you,” John stated simply. The two Shepards stared at each other for a moment. Jane swallowed and tried to speak.

 

            “John, I-”

 

            “I’m sorry to interrupt Spectres but I have new data that I believe you should know immediately.” EDI broke in, her hologram appearing in the middle of the table. John looked at Jane for another moment but she turned away.

 

            “What’s up EDI?” John asked, turning his attention to the AI.

 

            “The subroutine I created to decode the message the Geth received has completed its analysis. While the message itself is too fragmented to be played there are several key words in it. The intact words are Shepard, Geth, attacked, mayday.” EDI explained. “The data with the coordinates is also fragmented but I was able to use existing star charts to fill in the blanks. I believe Ms. Tali'Zorah vas Neema was trying to send out an SOS signal from the planet Haestrom in the Dholen System.” The Shepards exchanged a look and nodded. John turned back to EDI.

 

            “EDI tell Joker to set course for Haestrom,” John ordered. “Stop for nothing and no one. Tell Ken and Gabby we’re going to redline the engines till we get there.”

 

            “The Illusive Man wanted to speak with you rather urgently, John,” EDI reminded him. John scowled.

 

            “Send him a message, if you have to, tell him what’s happening but we’re going to save our friend,” John replied. He turned to Jane who crossed her arms and was looking down, lost in thought.

 

"Do you know what Tali is up to?" He asked and Jane looked up. "You managed to get those Quarian kids on our colonies with her help, didn't you?" She nodded.

 

            "Tali called me in to help the Flotilla with an issue that Cerberus caused," Jane explained. "I was able to help them a lot and was even able to get Council aid since Cerberus is a human terrorist group. Still, it was only a minor bit that Tali and I did to get the Quarian kids on pilgrimage to the colonies. All I had to do was mention how colonies regularly scrap tech they can't keep working and the kids were rushing to get to their hands on potential materials for their Pilgrimage offerings. As for Haestrom...I cannot imagine what she is looking for there."

 

            "Then we get her off that world," John said and Jane snorted. Why the hell were the Quarians even there?

 

            "Obviously," Jane said as they exited. 

~*TF*~

 

            Earth Date: January 30th, 2186 CE

            Location: Normandy SR-2, In Transit

 

            “Come on, Grunt, you can do better than that!” John snapped. Grunt roared and charged. John waited for the Krogan to get just a foot away from him and side stepped out of the way. He stuck his left arm out in an arm bar. Grunt’s eyes widened comically and tried to check his momentum. Too late John lunged forward a step, slamming Grunt in the throat. Using the Krogan’s own momentum he sent the giant man to the ground in a heap. John stepped back and gave Grunt some distance. Grunt pushed himself to his hands and knees and let out several deep coughs and hacks.

 

            “How did I beat you?” John asked simply. Grunt didn’t answer and John scowled. Two quick steps and he kicked Grunt in the side, sending him rolling.

 

            “How did I beat you?” John demanded. Grunt snarled softly but got to his feet.

 

            “You used my momentum against me,” Grunt grumbled. The two men began circling each other. They were alone in the cargo bay, several mats laid out over the area. John had decided for a mission to extract Tali and her team from Geth Heretic controlled space he needed fire power. He’d tapped Jane, Garrus, Legion, Grunt and Mordin for the mission. Mordin would act as team medic but everyone was chosen for one simple reason. Go in, kill everything in their way, and leave with the Quarians. A simple plan and goal but not so simple in execution. Jane had voiced her concerns on Grunt’s lack of experience and John had a simple solution to that.

 

            Training. Morning to night. Training with him and Legion. The Geth had left this training session early to prepare a briefing on the area of Heretic controlled space so now it was just John and Grunt.

 

            “You have the knowledge,” John had said the first morning shortly after they had begun, “But knowing what to do and knowing how to do it are two vastly different things.” And so, they had trained. Grunt was improving by leaps and bounds but now John was sharing something only he and few others on the ship truly knew.

 

            “That’s exactly what a biotic will do,” John lectured now as they circled each other. “However rather than an arm bar you would have run straight into a warp or stasis field or even worse a singularity if the biotic is exceptionally gifted so, you need to learn how to check yourself. Charging in to close range takes away most biotics' advantages. They’re used to hitting targets from far off so you close the gap or take cover till they need a moment to recharge.”

 

            Grunt charged again but this time he was moving from side to side in a zig zag pattern. John smiled, pleased the Krogan was learning. Just before he reached John, Grunt checked his speed on his left heel and spun a fist at John. John ducked and launched both hands at Grunt’s stomach, palms flat. They connected with a meaty whump sound and John sent Grunt staggering back.

 

            “Expect them to have anticipated such a tactic, so adapt on the fly,” John noted and Grunt nodded before lunging at John. John ducked under Grunt’s grasping hand and stepped through the boy’s guard and brought his knee to Grunt’s stomach. Grunt snarled at the impact but quickly grabbed John’s leg. He smiled and prepared to toss John away when pain exploded in the side of his head. Grunt staggered back and glared at John who was slowly lowering his right leg and right arm, which he had just used to elbow Grunt in the temple just below his crest.

 

            “Take stock of what they have and remember it,” John chided. Grunt growled and they began circling each other again.

 

            “How’s it going boys?” Jane’s voice came from the doorway into the cargo bay. John didn’t turn to face Jane until he made a timeout gesture at Grunt who growled in annoyance but stopped circling John.

 

            “Just a little biotic combat training while Legion prepares that briefing on the Dholen System.” John replied, heading for his towel and water bottle. Jane made a sound of surprise in the back of her throat as John drank.

 

            “Why are you doing that?” Jane asked and John lowered the water bottle to look at her. “I’m the biotic, not you.”

 

            “That’s exactly why Jane,” John stated. “You know how to fight with biotics. Grunt needs to learn how to counter them without biotics.”

 

            “So, I can teach him a few weaknesses.” Jane retorted. “I have been training while you’ve been gone.”

 

            “Maybe you can teach him some signs on what biotics look like as they harness certain powers and even how to dodge them but he needs to know tactics like what I use to counter biotics.” John explained. Jane scoffed and John felt his temper spike.

 

            “What can you teach him that I can't teach better?” Jane stated in a tone. John scowled at Jane and turned to Grunt.

 

            “Go shower, rest up for tomorrow. We should get there about zero nine hundred. Pre-mission brief at eight hundred.” John replied. He said nothing till the doors closed behind Grunt. Then he snapped around to glare at Jane.

 

            “I can teach him plenty!” John barked at Jane. Jane glared at him.

 

            “But not about biotics!” Jane snapped.

 

            “This wasn’t about biotics it was how to fight biotics without them!” John shouted at her. “You don’t know that! Every second of your life since Mindoir is how to use them! How to extend your biotics just a bit more, how to push just a bit more!”

 

            “Which is why I should be his teacher in biotic combat, not you!” Jane countered. “I know almost as much as an Asari Commando!”

 

            “No! This is not about biotics! This is about tactics you would never use against biotics because you are one! He needs to know how to counter biotics without them! It may not work for every biotic but he needs to learn what to think about in combat with one!” John barked. He turned to storm away when he heard it. The slight crackle of biotics coming to fore. He dove to the left, rolling away and then up to his feet as Jane used a biotic Stasis where he had just been. He rushed Jane and checked her with a shoulder sending her back.

 

            “Stop that!” John snapped, his temper well and truly snapped. “You did that to me before when we were arguing about Miranda. Well here and now I’m telling you to **fucking STOP**!” he screamed the last bit. Jane seemed shocked at that but John kept going. “For _years_ since you’ve had your implant you’ve used that damn trick to get the upper hand in our arguments! Do you know how fucking humiliating that is to have your own sister put you in a fucking stasis just to win an argument! You’ve thrown me out of an elevator just because you were upset, you’ve stasised me when I try to walk away to keep from screaming at you. Those biotics are honed as techniques meant for combat! You’ve used a combat technique on your own brother to win fucking arguments! I’ve had enough! Enough of giving you time to get used to me being back, of accepting that I’m me! Well this fucking stops right now!”

 

            John took a deep breath before speaking again, trying not to shout.

 

            “Yes, you have things you can teach Grunt but there are things only a non-biotic knows about combating biotics. A mentality, a basic approach. Grunt needs that because he’s just like me. A plain, ordinary soldier who fights people with complex tech abilities and people with fucking space magic!” John snarled. Jane’s eyes widened at that.

 

            “Don’t do that again.” John snapped, whirling around to leave. “I’ve officially had it. You’ve had your space.”

 

            As the cargo bay doors closed behind him he wished he had a door to slam.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane was standing frozen still in the cargo hold. How fucking _dare_ he? Her biotics flowed over her skin like a violent ocean. She wanted to scream. She had wanted to hurl him from the door into air. He had no right to talk to her like that.

 

            She counted backward from ten. Then twenty. Rage roared in her head. That fool might just be her brother speaking to her that way, but he was a fucking moron if he thought every biotic was so simple. Plus, the additional insult from Miranda about Jane's dead comrades burned beneath her eyes. The rage was too much and she focused on levitating. She forced her biotics down, her feet lifting from the ground. Not enough, she levitated the crates around her. The rage still poured around her. She set off four singularities before she felt the pain in her forehead. She needed to stop. The crates lowered and the singularities ran out. She lowered to the ground and panted.

 

            Jane ran the back of her hand across her upper lip. Scarlett decorated her hand. Great, she had a fucking nose bleed. She licked the blood from her hand before looking up to see Jack smirking down at her from walkway window. The bitch would probably be harder on her the next time they practiced. Jane still need to blow some energy so she began to practice her hand to hand. She punched and kicked the air, using blasts of biotics to throw herself into the air with more force than an opponent would think capable. She twisted and bounced off crates. Sweat rolled down her temples and more blood was oozing into her mouth from her nose.

 

            This John knew a lot but he sure as hell didn't know that Jane never considered when she put her brother in stasis as a "win" it was almost always an escape measure. Lock his stubborn ass down and usually get the last word before running away. Asshole. He also didn't know she knew a whole lot more about krogan battle now. Maybe he was John, or maybe he was a really great actor.  If he wasn't her brother, she was going to throw him into the walls until he didn't look like John anymore. She headed up to lie down, staggering under the agony of her headache. She would stop by Chakwas for a little medical aid.  

 

~*TF*~

 

            Earth Date: January 31st, 2186 CE

            Location: Far Rim, Dholen System, Planet Haestrom

 

            _“Shepard, our data indicates that Tali is somewhere in these ruins. There is considerable heretic geth activity, and an environmental hazard.”_ EDI told them over the comms as the shuttle was landing. John grunted and checked his shield capacitors. He glanced out the corner of his eye and noticed Grunt doing the same. Good, he was following John’s lead. As the shuttle finished landing he surveyed the rest of the team. Legion was standing there, still as only an AI could be. Mordin was checking his own omni-tool with Garrus not too far away, watching Jane intently. Jane herself was staring at the doors as they opened, the look on her face icy. He’d offered to let her bring Blasto but she had declined. He understood her reasons why, considering the varren’s lack of shields for protection from the sun.

 

            “Move out,” John ordered, un-holstering his rifle as he led them out of the shuttle. He heard the team following him out. As soon as he entered the light his shields immediately began to emit warning tones.

 

            _“Solar output has overwhelmed Haestrom's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields,”_ EDI continued as they moved down the walkway from the landing area.

 

            “I wonder how long this Quarian settlement had been here,” John heard Jane mention to Garrus as they walked.

 

            “It must have been awhile if this sun is already dying. I can’t see them settling in a system like this intentionally.” Garrus said something back to her but John missed it. He saw a guard post up ahead that looked like it had been used recently and the doors to the colony were closed. John headed for the post to open the doors when he heard someone speaking. He opened the door to the guard shack. There was a destroyed geth near the entrance and a Quarian on the ground by a console. He was recording a message.

 

            “-stayed to buy time,” he gasped and as the door opened he turned. He made a surprised sound in the back of his throat. “Humans? Here?” He let out a cough that was more gurgle than anything. He gasped as Legion came up behind John. “Geth!” Before John could react the man raised a pistol and shot at Legion. All his shots hit dead center and passed through the hole in Legion’s body. Legion looked down for a moment before fixing a look on John.

 

            “No damage, John-Spectre,” Legion replied. “We request that the wounded Creator not recommence with corrected aim.”

 

            “Take it easy,” John said gently as he knelt by the Quarian. Mordin hurried over and took some readings. He glanced at John and shook his head.

 

            “Can you tell us what happened?” John gently prodded. The man nodded before taking a raspy breath.

 

            “Geth, they attacked this morning,” He rasped. “I stayed here to buy some time for the others. Please you have to…have to…” The man trailed off into a set of raspy, desperate breaths. Mordin injected him with something but he kept gasping, trying to breathe. It wasn’t long before he slumped over. John sighed and got up and Mordin gently slid the man down. John hit the controls to open the doors into the colony. He moved past the others and headed past the doors deeper into the colony. It was quiet except for the distant sounds of gun fire echoing.

 

            “That doesn’t sound too far away,” Garrus mentioned to John who nodded in agreement.

 

            “From the subharmonics our audio processors and runtimes indicate that there is a ninety-eight point four percent chance that this is Creator weapons fire with Geth pulse rifle fire in response,” Legion noted as they moved deeper into the colony. 

 

            “Thank you, Captain Obvious,” Jane muttered behind them. John just shook his head but Legion’s head did a one eighty and looked at Jane. Jane looked shocked by the motion.

 

            “We believe the extranet indicates we should respond with ‘Thank you, Sergeant Sarcasm’,” Legion replied before turning his head back to face forward. Jane's jaw dropped at the response.

 

            “Oh that’s not creepy at all,” John muttered.

 

            “Interesting,” Mordin mused, “have never seen a Geth turn their head in such a fashion. Please explain, do the servos in your necks normally allow such movement or has your frame been altered to allow such movements?”

 

            “We have made significant alterations to our frame to facilitate such movement,” Legion explained as John led them through the loading area. “Given the audio recordings of such banter amongst the original Normandy collective we believe such humor guidelines and alterations will help others adapt more to our presence. Also, we believe humans have a typical response to such. Worth it,” Legion replied. John laughed out right while Jane just shook her head.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The team entered through the blast door to the next area and Jane looked up. The roof had a ledge she could follow.

 

            "Garrus, give a girl a lift?" Jane asked and the turian quickly put his back to the wall, getting into a lift stance and cupped his hand before him. Jane ran at him and jumped, firmly placing one foot on his cupped hands. He shoved her up and with a biotic boost Jane was on the roof.

 

            _"Jane, what are you doing?"_ John asked over the comm as she ducked into the shade.

 

            "The ledge extends over all the buildings we have seen. It gives me cover from the sun and the fire. I can give you covering fire and you can keep two snipers down there to give you a good cover," Jane said and John nodded.

 

            " _Good technique,"_ he said and began to signal the rest of the team to spread out. They kept moving, slow but steady and when a few geth units rushed around the corner they were ready for them. Jane quickly rushed to get to the other roof, using a biotic leap and drawing some of the fire. The sun was making her shields sizzle as she dove into the shade. She would have to watch out for a sunburn in this light. She peered out and took shots, moving back and forth in the shade.

 

            _"Grunt to the west,"_ John's voice ordered in her ear.

 

            _"Scoped and dropped!"_ Garrus cried and Jane smiled.

 

            _"I am krogan!"_ Grunt roared.

 

            _"Focus on the Prime!"_ John ordered. Jane listened to John's orders for a moment and rolled her eyes. She was still mad. She caught his hand motions, he was even making them to her. She didn't need to listen to this. If John wasn't going to listen to her advice, she didn't have to hear him when he was giving orders. She flipped her comm off. This wasn't anything they couldn't handle and she could do better than John. A few minutes later and the main courtyard was clear and Jane turned on her comm.

 

            "Coming down," she said as they reached a hallway in the shade. She leapt from the roof and used her biotics to slow her decent, not the graceful float of an asari matriarch, but a fall with style.

 

            "Nice new move, Shepard," Garrus stated. Jane shot John a look.

 

            "You never know what new moves a person will pick up," she replied. John just shook his head after sighing.

 

            _"The geth sent a dropship towards OP-2. Tali'Zorah's secure, but we need backup,"_ a voice called on the open channel and John was pleased to see the childish look was off Jane's face at that. Tali was still alive. They moved into the tunnel to see two quarians on the ground.

 

            "Damn it, I'm out," one groaned as he struggled back, glaring at Legion.

 

            "I...I...can't...see..." the other panted. The group rushed to the men. Jane and Garrus took guard on their six to make sure another dropship didn't fuck them over. Mordin was by the one who couldn't see. His face indicated it wasn't good.

 

            "The Creators need not fear me," Legion said as John got in front of the geth unit as the quarian noticed him.

 

            "We're here to help," John said. "This unit is loyal to us." The quarian who was out of ammo was trying to move back.

 

            _"OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, come in, over!"_ a voice on the comm called.

 

            "Answer your squad leader," Jane said, gesturing with her hand. "I'm Spectre Jane Shepard. We are friends of Tali'Zorah. We got a distress call from her." The quarian seemed stunned at that as Mordin left his companion and approached, quickly dispensing medical aid to the other.

 

            "This is Yili'Maenna, OP-1 is down, Fula ordered us to return to back up OP-2, but we were ambushed in the tunnel," Yili said over the comms and looked at Mordin in hope but the salarian shook his head. "I'm the only survivor. But Tali'Zorah's old crew is here. They got her distress signal. It made it through. Over."

 

            _"I wish it was the Flotilla but back up is back up,_ " Kal'Reegar said. _"Get to OP-2. Over."_

 

            "Yes, sir, over!" Yili said.

 

            _"Patch Tali's friends into Channel 617 Theta, over,"_ he ordered. The team quickly linked up their comms.

 

            “We read you, Squad Leader,” John said and he heard Kal’Reegar take a breath.

 

            _"We are on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after but the geth found us. They got us pinned down. Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation,"_ he began.

 

            "What are the chances of geth back up?" Mordin asked.

 

            " _Unlikely. Their patrol ship hasn't lifted off again, and the radiation blocks all offworld communication. Tali sent a probe into space to transmit an SOS, it was a low success rate, but you guys are here, so I'm not complaining,"_ Kal'Reegar explained.

 

            "How are you holding up? We can be there in a few minutes," John said.

 

            _"Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell,"_ he warned.

 

            "I got to feel that first hand," Jane said and John gave her a look. "Rooftop is the best place for me. Eyes in the sky is best and I'm the only one we can get up there fast enough to keep their shields intact." John nodded in agreement.

 

            _"We're bunkered down at base camp across the valley. I left Tali'Zorah at a secure shelter, then doubled back to hold the choke point. Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you,"_ Kal'Reeger said.

 

            "Hold position, we'll hit their back ranks," John said and Jane elbowed Garrus as the team headed out.

 

            _"Wait! Watch your ass! We've got a dropship coming in!"_ Kal'Reeger cried.

 

            "Pull your heavies," John ordered. Garrus, Grunt, Jane, and John rushed out of the tunnel with their missile launchers drawn.

 

            "And some people would say bringing four missile launchers is too much," Garrus commented.

 

            "Said the person who catches missiles with his face," Jane replied.

           

            "Take it down!" John ordered as the dropship appeared. The four began firing and the missiles homed in on the ship. The dropship took a pounding and several geth units dropped. Mordin and Legion covered the fighters with the heavies and as the ship began to fall it let out one shot at the three quarians across the field. It hit the barricade and there was a scream.

 

            "Need to assist fallen quarian. Likelihood of suit rupture from such a hit extremely high," Mordin commented. Jane casually turned off her comm as she switched to her rifle and looked to John. He smiled at his sister's attention.

 

            "We'll cover you, Mordin," John ordered. "Garrus, Legion, Jane, take them out, Grunt and I will cover the three of you." The three snipers took positions and began to riddle the approaching geth units.

 

            "Prime!" Grunt roared, but his excitement soon turned to disappointment when he noticed the optics were blown out, but still pleased to have a fight when that didn't stop the unit from trying to shoot him. "He...he...he..." The krogan's growling chuckle was less than comforting to Jane as Grunt began to tear the unit apart.

 

            John moved with Mordin and covered him as they reached the quarians. One was still in fighting shape, keeping geth units from approaching the door, Mordin seemed to be working on a second one, but from what he could see, the third one was out of luck. John was about to charge another geth unit when a shot took it down. He looked over his shoulder to see Yili peering around a piece of debris. Looked like the quarian marine was still in the fight, John grinned. This was going to be easier than he thought.      

 

            Soon enough the battlefield was littered with geth remains and the group approached the door, Garrus and Jane quickly flanked Legion while Grunt stood behind him.

 

            "Keelah...is that a geth?" the one who was by the door cried.

 

            "They have it under control," Yili stated and the other marine looked nervous. "Don't worry, Ken'Bekk, you saw it taking down the other units."

 

            "Correction, we are not under control, we mean the Creators no harm at this time," Legion said and Jane elbowed the unit. "We do not understand this communication, Jane-Spectre."

           

            "It means, you are not comforting," Garrus stated.

 

            "Or you are being an ass," Jane added.

 

            "This unit is not a quadruped," Legion replied helpfully.

 

            "This geth is a member of our team," John said and the quarians shared a look. "It helped, so give him a chance."

 

            "We are here to help extract your team," Jane said and Ken'Bekk nodded.

 

            "How is Kael'Shiro?" Yili asked.

 

            "I will be fine...thanks to you," the female that Mordin had been treating said. "But Maera'Orzh..." She looked at the body of the other quarian. The missile had shoved the barrier into the two quarians, but it looked like the male had shoved the female to the side and had been crushed between the barrier and the stone wall behind him. There was a sound of gunfire in the room.

 

            "The science team!" Ken'Bekk cried and they opened the door. Geth had the door on the opposite side of the room open and were pouring in, shooting as they moved in. Three quarians were dead on the floor, but two others were shooting from behind cargo containers in the back of the room.

 

            "Jane!" John cried and Jane threw a singularity at the geth. Most of them were caught but a prime was working its way through allowing a few units to pass around it. The team were quick to start firing, Jane taking out geth caught in the singularity while Grunt, John, and the quarians focused on the prime. Legion, Mordin, and Garrus were helping with the units not caught in Jane's singularity. The prime charged, trying to clear the way but John blasted it back with his shotgun. Every shot blasted away armor and then it fell back as his last shot blew off the rest of its upper half. The shootout was quick to end after that and the quarians aimed at Legion.

 

            "He's a friendly!" John cried but one quarian got off several shots, all passing through the hole in Legion’s body.

 

            “No damage, Shepard-Spectres.”

 

            “I think he kept that hole on purpose,” Garrus remarked to Mordin.

 

            "A...friendly geth?" one of the two quarians from behind the containers asked.

 

            "It sounds insane, but this unit seems to be a...companion," Ken'Bekk explained.

 

            "Jofa, are you okay?" Kael'Shiro asked and as one of the two came out of cover bent over and holding his side.

 

            "I have a suit rupture," Jofa said and Mordin was quick to give him a once over.

 

            "I am Shani'Naanar," the other said as she put her weapon up.

 

            _"Hello? Is anyone there?"_ Tali called from a hologram. John and Jane approached.

 

            "Tali, its Shepard. We're here with the remains of OP-1, OP-2, and the science team, you've been hit with several casualties," John explained.

 

            “John? I'm not complaining, but you show up at the strangest times!” Tali remarked. “What are you doing in the middle of geth space?”

 

            “A friend of ours picked up a garble SOS from you,” John explained, grinning at her. “Since I was in the neighborhood I thought you might need a hand.”

 

            _“Thanks for coming, John. It means a lot to hear your voice,”_ Tali said and Jane huffed peeking over John’s shoulder at the screen.

 

            "We also have Yili, Kael, Ken, Jofa, and Shani," Jane said.

 

            _"Jane?"_ Tali sounded surprised.

 

            "Yes, I'm here with him," Jane said, giving John a look.

 

            _"Good to have you here then as well,"_ Tali said.

 

            "What, not going to let her know I'm with you?" Garrus called and Tali looked surprised for being masked.

           

            _"Garrus?!"_ she cried and he smirked.

 

            "You think I would come this far with Cerberus without Garrus on my six?" Jane teased and John smiled. It was almost like old times.

 

            _"How are the survivors?"_ Tali asked and John looked at Mordin who was finishing patching Jofa up. He shot John a thumbs up.

           

            "Our medic says all survivors should be good," John said and Tali let out a breath of relief.

 

            " _We knew this mission was high-risk, but I'm glad we haven't had a complete loss of the team,"_ she said. Jane noticed how the other quarians seemed comforted by Tali's concern. _"If you are here in the middle of geth space, my probe must have been able to transmit."_

 

            "It actually didn't get directly to us, we had help and even then it was pretty badly degraded. Probably from the sun’s radiation," John said. "I'll explain later. We are here to help extract you."

 

            _"Thanks for coming, Shepard...Shepards...Garrus. It means a lot that you all came,"_ Tali said. " _Kal'Reegar and what's left of the marines got me into the observatory. From where you are, it's through the door and across the field. I got the data I needed and I'm safe for now, but I've got a lot of geth outside."_

 

            "We are ready to fight!" Yili said and Mordin shook his head.

 

            "Too many suit ruptures. Need to stay back. More ruptures will increase risk. Already using excessive antibiotics, bad choice to risk further exposure. Remain here, complete suit repairs," Mordin advised and John nodded in agreement.

 

            "We got this, we'll get Tali and the data for you," John said.

 

            "Pick up this Kal'Reegar too, think I owe him a dextro beer for watching out for you, kid," Garrus said and Tali made a noise in her throat.

 

            _"I am not a child, Garrus Vakarian,"_ Tali stated and Garrus chuckled as Jane elbowed him. _“I’m unlocking the door.”_

 

            "We’ll see you soon, Tali," Jane said.

 

            "Stay here, we got this," John said to the remaining quarians. The group headed out and headed to the opening. The room was massive and Jane wondered what it was originally used for. As the drones in the doorway cloaked Jane noticed a walkway.

 

            "Garrus, a lift?" she asked and Garrus got into position to fling her up. A boost of biotics had Jane up high. She looked down to watch John's hand signals as they moved from shadow to shadow. If he was going to signal all the better, she certainly didn't need to listen to him. She flipped her comm off again, ducking to cover along the walkway.

 

            “They know we’re coming now,” John grumped, drawing his rifle. “Everyone keep going till-”

 

            “John-Spectre, alert! Two Prime units incoming!” Legion shouted. John’s eyes widened as two Primes stepped around the corner. He dove for cover, as did the others. The area he’d been standing exploded with the impact of a rocket round.

 

            “This is a bit much, don’t you think?” John shouted to Garrus as he opened fire from his position.

 

            “I think they analyzed how much they were screwed with two Shepards!” Garrus noted shooting a drone down that just decloaked.

 

            “Geth survivability does decrease with the increased presence of two Shepard-Spectre units,” Legion noted, deploying a combat drone.

 

            “Fascinating, I believe that was a Geth compliment,” Mordin noted as he incinerated as drone. John rolled his eyes as the first prime went down in a hail of gun fire. He switched his attention to the second Geth prime and noted its shields were down but it was charging straight at them.

 

            “Focus on its knees,” John barked, opening fire at the left knee. The others followed suit and the geth stumble, falling face down and skidding to a stop not far from them. John got up and switched to his shotgun, putting the barrel to its face before pulling the trigger. The entire unit collapsed after its head was blown off.

 

            As Jane walked she noticed the walkway passed through the wall. She flipped on her comm.

 

            "I have an entryway above, instead of risking my shields coming down on this side, I'm going to pass through up here and get a view of the field before I come down," Jane reported.

 

            " _Does it look clear?"_ John asked. Jane checked with her scope. 

 

            "No door, I can see straight through and the platform it opens to is in shadow, I'm still in the back of the room, so I'll be a minute behind you. The walkway is not whole up here, but I can easily make it," Jane said.

 

            _"Go for it,"_ John said.

 

            "See you on the other side," Jane said, flipping her comm off as she used a biotic leap to head along the walkway to the other side.

 

~*TF*~

 

            John lowered the shutters in the next room, an office, to get a view of what they were walking into. It seemed to be a loading dock with a lower and upper catwalk on each side. There was also-

 

            “Shit!” John cried, diving to the side. “Colossus! Get down!” The others scurried out of the way just in time as a large energy blast shot through the window and impact on the wall behind him.

 

            “Well this is special,” John noted. He scurried along the way to the ramp leading down.

 

            “Definitely like old times,” Garrus noted as he followed with the others. They hurried down to find a quarian in heavy red and grey armor taking a shot at the geth with a rocket launcher. John hurried over to him and the squad spread out around them.

 

            “Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We talked on the radio before that dropship arrived.” He shouted to be heard over the gun fire. He glanced behind John and froze for a moment. “You’ve got a geth, right behind you!”

 

            “We are allied with Shepard,” Legion explained. “We fight the heretic geth units in this area.”

 

            “You know ordinarily that wouldn’t fly with me but I can’t afford to be picky right now!” Kal'Reegar noted, ducking a bit as a rocket impacted their cover by them. “Tali's inside over there. The geth killed the rest of my squad while they were trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention.”

 

            “Are you sure she's still alive?” John asked worried by all the fire and geth units in the area.

 

            “The observatory is reinforced. Even the geth will need time to get through it.” Kal'Reegar chuckled. “And it's hard to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you. The geth are near platoon strength, but the colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. We couldn’t get a clear shot while it's down like that. When I found out you were coming I order my team to try to move in closer.” Kal'Reegar looked down for a moment before continuing. “The geth killed them to a man.”

 

            “I’m sorry.” John said earnestly. “What can you tell me about the battlefield?”

 

            “The right side's got a catwalk with sniper perch. You could wreak some havoc from there, but none of my men made it past the geth. The middle's got cover, but the damn colossus has a clear shot at you the whole time, and you've got geth coming in from both sides. The left gives you cover from the colossus, but your ass is hanging out for the geth.” Kal'Reegar explained.

 

            “Any ideas on how to deal with the colossus?” John inquired, ducking as another rocket impacted near them.

 

            “Standard protocol with armature-class units is to sabotage the shields and whittle it down, you know. Kill it with bug bites. But the repair protocol blows that plan to hell. You try to wear it down, it just huddles up and fixes itself. So whatever we do has to scrap that bastard fast. Probably means getting up close, past that cover.” Kal'Reegar noted. John frowned and turned to Legion.

 

            “We need to get to Tali. Analyze the area and give me the best solution.” John ordered. Legion nodded and poked its head above cover for a few seconds. Then it dropped back down and John heard several electrical noises he’d come to associate with geth. He’d thought it must have been units communicating with others but he realized as Legion did it right here by himself that it was the geth programs _inside_ a geth platform communicating with each other.

 

            “We recommend using the upper catwalk to the right. Moving slowly we can draw them towards us provided Creator-Kal'Reegar shoots at them from here with its rocket weapon to draw them into our field of fire. If units move along the catwalk we should be placed to the side of colossus unit to flank it.” Legion replied. “Jane-Spectre needed to increase chances of plan succeeding.”

 

            “Jane you heard him, follow us down after we're out to the right to bring up the rear!” John said into his comms.

 

            “I'm not going to stand there while you run into the enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!” Kal'Reegar protested.

 

            “And if you want to honor your squad, follow the plan! That way all of us and survivors at your base of operations can all go home!” John chided him. Kal'Reegar stared at him for a moment before nodding.

 

            “All right, Shepard! We'll do it your way but at least change frequency to delta 352, that way we can communicate if we need to,” Kal'Reegar agreed. John quickly passed on the order and called over the comms to Jane to do the same. She never acknowledged John but she had done that before when she was giving him the cold shoulder like she had been since yesterday.

 

            “Let’s move out!” John called to the others. “Grunt and I will go up the middle for fifteen feet to draw them in and then double back to join you on the higher catwalk.”

 

            “Hit them for me. Keelah se'lai!” Kal'Reegar shouted. John grinned and nodded at him. He turned to the squad and gestured for them to move out.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane made it through the doorway, she had taken longer than she meant to when part of the walkway had threatened to collapse under her weight. She looked down to see John talking.

 

            "Fuck," she hissed before turning on her comm. Her heart stopped, the line was silent. John was clearly talking. "Fuck...oh fuck..." She looked at her comm settings, it was working, but they weren't on the channel. She quickly went back to the agreed ground team frequency. Nothing. "Fuck!" She had missed the orders, but his hands signaled that they were splitting up, he and Grunt were moving toward the center while Legion, Mordin, and Garrus were holding on the catwalk. Maybe John was doing a three prong rotation. The catwalks would attack from the right and left, the middle would advance. The middle would attack and the catwalks advance. He would probably want her on the left if the others were on the right. Legion would take care of the advancing geth while Garrus and Mordin covered the middle.

 

            The platform Jane had seen turned out to be some sort of office. She looked down and saw some cover. She dropped and used a barrier to shield and her biotics to decrease the fall. If John was doing a three pronged attack she wasn't in position to do her job from the left.

 

            "Fuck," Jane hissed as she moved quickly to the left. She needed to be in position. She flipped her comm to the Alliance channel. Still quiet. She had completely fucked up, she could only hope John didn't realize what had happened.    

 

~*TF*~

 

            “John!” Garrus shouted, drawing John’s attention from the Geth trying to stop them from getting an angle on the colossus.

 

            “What is it?” John called to his friend. The turian pointed across the field and John saw Jane moving along the _other_ catwalk on the opposite side and lower than the entire area. The one where Kal'Reegar had indicated his squad had gotten killed.

 

            “What the hell is she doing?” John roared, before turning his mic on. “Jane! Jane answer me damn it!”

 

            “John, I think her comm unit is off. If she’s there by herself-” Garrus began worriedly.

 

            “They’ll swarm her from both sides since we’re drawing them this way,” John finished. “Fuck!”

 

            “Tactically unsound,” Mordin said, sliding next to them from cover. “Jane Shepard is ignoring orders.”

 

            “She thinks she knows better!” John snarled. He thought for a minute trying to figure out what to do. He glanced at Garrus and made a decision. “Garrus I hate to ask but I need you to get over there and pull her back. Take her to where Kal'Reegar is and you two will provide cover fire from the back. We’ll advance after we give you cover fire to get to her. We’ll clear out the colossus and the other units and come down from the front.”

 

            “I’m ready John,” Garrus said, holstering his sniper rifle and crouching. “Give the order.”

 

            “Run as soon as we open fire,” John order. He turned to the others and nodded before popping up. “Covering fire!” John unloaded his assault rifle as Mordin, Grunt and Legion followed his lead. Garrus moved the minute he could, running back the way they had come, dodging Geth and bolting across the entire field to reach Jane. He slammed into the minimal cover near Jane.

~*TF*~

            Jane was aiming at a geth unit in the middle of the field. Unaware of the turian sprinting just out of her vision to the right and completely ignorant of the geth unit slipping from cover to her left.

 

            "Jane!" Garrus cried as Jane shot, removing the head of her unit. Time seemed to slow down as she saw the other unit aiming in her direction, sighting on her. She felt her blood run cold as she realized she was going to lose her head. What a stupid way to die. As she was expecting her head to be blasted off her shoulders, a large turian body impacted with her instead. A geth round went off and the body hitting her jerked. They landed behind a pile of barrels. She was flat on her back, Garrus' face was inches from her own and his eyes were fighting pain.

 

            "Why weren't you answering the comm?" he asked. She looked up into his grey-blue eyes before she heard something drip against her armor. She looked down to see a trail of bright blue rolling down Garrus' side.

 

            "I was on the wrong channel," she said and he looked at her as she grabbed him, rolling him so he was sitting. Her armor was splattered with his bright blue blood. It was staining her stomach, so much blood in such a short time, he was in trouble! Garrus grabbed her arm and changed her comm frequency on her omni-tool.

 

            "Not like you," Garrus grunted as he attempted to shift his body up only to wince. “We’re on Delta 352.” he told her, his face contorted in pain. Jane quickly rushed to his side to see bloody ruin just under his arm pit. A hole in his armor. Blue was oozing from the hole in his side and down his back in a steady stream. A puddle was growing beneath him. She pressed a hand to the wound before noticing the puddle still growing, another hole...and exit wound. He was shot, she had gotten him shot. Garrus was bleeding and she was the reason. Fuck...oh fuck...not Garrus...panic and guilt rose in her throat as she activated her mic, administering medi-gel. She didn't want to move him to look at the exit wound. She needed help, she needed help...Mordin!

 

~*TF*~

 

            _“Garrus is hit! John! I need Mordin it’s bad!”_ Jane screamed in terror over the comms. John ground his teeth and glanced left. He couldn’t see them from here, flanking the colossus.

 

            “Son of a _bitch_!” John screamed in frustration. He turned to Legion. “How many Geth platforms between us and them excluding the colossus?”

 

            “Nine units remain,” Legion reported before popping up to shoot one with his sniper rifle. “Now eight.”

 

            “Colossus shields are down!” Grunt exclaimed in joy. John turned and looked. The colossus was indeed sparking and was taking shots directly.

 

            “I got a bad idea!” John shouted down the way to Grunt and Mordin. “Mordin you need to get to Garrus and Jane now! Legion you cover him and draw the heretic Geth here. Grunt!”

 

            “Yes, Shepard!” Grunt crowed in joy gunning down two more Geth.

 

            “We’re charging the colossus!” John shouted, almost not believing his own words. “We hit the legs with every bit of firepower we can before we slam into them! Hopefully that will be enough to put it down.”

 

            “Understood!” Grunt shouted and laughed a deep Krogan belly laugh that only came when they were in the middle of a great fight.

 

            “Ready on your word Shepard!” Mordin replied.

 

            “ _John! Please!_ ”

 

            “GO!” John shouted and vaulted over the edge. He immediately opened fire on the colossus’s legs with Grunt right next to him. The Krogan bellowed a challenge and did the same. John ran straight for the colossus till his gun overheated. He tossed it aside just as he reached the colossus with Grunt. Both men barreled into a leg each, a loud metallic banging echoing across the field. John strained, groaning and snarling as he pushed. The colossus let out a high pitched whine and then to John’s shock the leg he was pushing actually ripped away from the leg at the knee joint. Grunt’s did the same and both men barrel past and under the colossus just before it fell to the ground. The colossus began making error noises but its head was looking around wildly, trying to target them. Grunt laughed joyfully and whipped out his shotgun and going up to give it the coup de grâce. John took a deep breath looking around. A gun shot rang out and he actually _felt_ the wind as the bullet moved past his head. He whirled trying to find the shooter but saw a Geth unit that had been behind him fall to the ground. He looked back to the upper catwalk and saw Legion there.

 

            _“All heretic units, terminated John-Spectre.”_ Legion reported over the comms. _“Jane-Spectre has called for shuttle evac of Vakarian-unit.”_

 

            “Well done, Legion. Come on down.” John said and focused on Grunt. “Go help Mordin and Jane get Garrus on the ship. Good work, Grunt.”

 

            “Thank you Shepard,” he rumbled before heading off to help as the shuttle came in. John watched from a distance as they loaded Garrus into the shuttle till Legion reached him. He turned to his Geth friend.

 

            “Follow me, let’s go get Tali,” John said, heading for the observatory doors, picking up his assault rifle as he went. As they walked through he heard Tali call out to them from the end of the room.

 

            “Just let me finish this download,” Tali said. John walked up behind her, watching Tali work for a moment as he put his gun away. Tali finished and withdraw and disc before inserting it into her omni-tool. Then she turned to face them.

 

            “John. I can't believe you're-” Talki cut herself off with a gasp and yanked her pistol up aiming behind John. “Geth! Get down!”

 

            “Tali wait-!” John cried but he didn’t move fast enough. Tali pulled the trigger and unlike the others who had met Legion today she hit Legion square in the head. “Tali easy! He’s a friend!”

 

            “A friend?!” Tali demanded but stopped shooting. Legion seemed woozy, swaying on his feet and his head was sparking severely. “They just killed a whole lot of my friends!”

 

            “He’s not like the Heretic Geth!” John explained. “I promise I’ll tell you everything back on the ship.”

 

            “So it’s just one of the _friendly_ Geth that drove my people from their home world.” Tali snarked.

 

            “We-we-we do not inten-ten-ten-tend physical harm to the-the-the-the Cre-Cre-Cre-Creators at this ti-ti-time,” Legion stuttered out with an electrical screech at the end.

 

            “Fine,” Tali said icily, “we can talk about this later, John. In private.” John sighed and looked at Legion.

 

            “You gonna be okay Legion?” John asked. The Geth seemed to hesitate before turning to the destroyed geth in the room.

 

            “We are functional-al-al at this pre-pre-pre-sent time, John-Spec-ec-ec-ectre with no loss of geth program-am-amz. We can use the Heretic platforms to re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re,” John gave Legion a back handed smack with his gauntlet covered hand and a loud clang issued in the room. “-repair our platform. We shall re-re-re-retrieve appropriate materials.”

 

            “Good, see to it,” John sighed and focused back on Tali. “Ready to get out of here?”

 

            “Absolutely. This whole mission has been a disaster.” Tali said with a sigh as they began walking to the door. “I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky. Haestrom's sun is destabilizing. Back when this was a quarian colony, it was a normal star. It shouldn't change that quickly. The effect is similar to when stars blow off mass to enter a red giant phase, but Haestrom's sun is far too young for this to be natural. If I had to guess, I'd say that it was dark energy affecting the interior of the star. And of course the Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. A lot of people died here. Some of them were my friends. All of them were good at their jobs. All for some damned data about a dying star.”

 

            “Once you deliver that data would you join me on the Normandy?” John asked. Tali nodded.

 

            “I promised to see this mission through. I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the Fleet.” Tali said, bringing up her omni-tool to prepare a message to do just that. “Just let me transmit the data from a secure channel. Then I can leave with you. And if the admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell. I just watched the rest of my team die.”

 

            “Maybe not your whole team, ma’am,” Reegar said, softly as he came up to them as they walked outside. The other quarian team members were behind him.

 

            “You made it!” Tali exclaimed and Kal'Reegar nodded at her.

 

            “Your old captain is as tough as you said, ma’am,” Kal'Reegar explained. “He made sure I didn’t get my head blown off and took out that damn colossus. He also saved the rest of the team.”

 

            “If need be, the Normandy can get you all out of here,” John offered, eager to get off planet and check on Garrus.

 

            “The geth didn't damage our ship. Long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine,” Kal’Reegar explained.

 

            “Actually, I won't be going with you. I'm joining Commander Shepard.” Tali explained. Reegar glanced between them and then nodded.

 

            “Well then ma’am if you hand me the data, I’ll make sure the Admiralty Board gets it and I’ll explain everything.” Kal’Reegar said and looked at John. “Keep her safe Shepard, she’s all yours now.”

 

            “You can count on it.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            "He is stable for now, but we will need to remove the armor to see the path of the bullet," Mordin said as he knelt behind Garrus. Jane knelt on the other side, helping to hold the turian on his side as Mordin treated the exit wound. The rest of the team was still on Haestrom while the shuttle brought Garrus to the Normandy and then returned to pick them up.

 

            "Talk to me, Garrus," Jane said, her voice sounded weak to herself. She wasn't the one who had been shot, but she sounded broken.

 

            "You didn't get rid of me that easily," Garrus chuckled weakly and then groaned. Tears welled in Jane's eyes as she held his hands tightly.

 

            "This is all my fault," Jane said and Garrus managed to open one eye to stare up at her.

 

            "You made a mistake, it happens," he said and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "I failed you and you are paying a price I should have," she said and he chuckled.

           

            "Alright, next time you can catch a rocket with your face and I'll consider us even," he said and Jane clutched his hands tighter. The big dumb turian making jokes with two holes in his body that should have been through Jane's thick skull.

 

            " _She is dangerous to this crew._ " Miranda's voice rose in Jane's mind as she watched Mordin monitoring Garrus' vitals. The pool of blood wasn't growing so that was good, but Garrus had lost a large amount of blood.

 

            " _You get people killed Spectre, your teams always seem to die and you manage to walk away._ " Miranda's voice called again. Garrus' eyes began to flutter.

 

            "Garrus!" Jane cried.

 

            "No concern, sedative taking effect," Mordin stated and Jane was fighting back sobs as she clutched Garrus' hands as if clinging to him would keep him alive.

 

            " _...she is a threat to every member of this crew..._ " Miranda's voice taunted. It seemed like an eternity by the time they docked. Jane and Grunt got Garrus on the stretcher that Chakwas had waiting in the hanger. Jane kept her grip on Garrus' hand all the way from the cargo bay to the medical bed.

 

            "Shepard..." his blood was on her hand.

 

            "Shepard..." his eyes were closed, but his chest was moving.

 

            "Jane!" Chakwas cried and Jane snapped her eyes from Garrus to her friend. "You are in the way. He’s stable and he’ll be fine now that we have him onboard. Go to your room." Jane nodded as she walked out. The world was twisting around her, but she managed to get to her room. She didn't bother to lock the door behind her. She stared at the window and saw her reflection. Blue blood covered her armor and Miranda's voice haunted her.

 

            " _You get people killed_..." Garrus’s blood was on her. Her breathing became ragged as she saw his face contorted in pain.

 

            "... _your teams always seem to die_..." tears were pouring down her cheeks as she remember the sight of Hicks’s severed head after the final Thresher maw attack on Akuze. Jane began ripping her armor off.

 

            "... _and you manage to walk away_..." the Normandy crew who had died in the destruction of the ship. Jane dropped the last of her gear and curled up, pressing against the walls of her room. She did...she kept living. She always made it, she kept getting people killed. Her men on Akuze, the Normandy crew, even her own brother. Jane began to weep.           

 

~*TF*~

 

            “He’ll be alright then doc?” John asked. Dr. Chakwas nodded her head and finished injecting something into Garrus’s IV line. It felt odd to John to see his friend without armor on, wearing hospital garments in a bed.  
  
            “The bullet deflected off his natural plating. Two inches to the left and it would have shredded his lungs as it passed through. As it is he’ll be down for a day but he should be on his feet after that. I would recommend light duty for a week after that however.” Dr. Chakwas advised. John let out a big sigh of relief before turning to EDI’s terminal where the hologram was watching silently.   
  
            “You heard the doc, EDI. Garrus is off combat roster for next seven days till the doc says otherwise.” John ordered. The hologram seemed to flicker for a moment.  
  
            “Acknowledge Shepard. Also, you might want to check in on your sister. She seems…unsettled.” EDI advised and John scowled.  
  
            “Oh yes," John said darkly. “I will definitely be doing that next. Thank you for reminding me EDI.”  
  
            “I’ll let you know when Garrus wakes up, Spehard,” Chakwas replied, focusing on the readings from her omni-tool.  
  
            “Thanks doc,” John said before turning and heading out of the medbay. He walked towards his sister’s quarters. The crewmen saw him coming, the thunderous expression on his face, and scattered. Within moments the crew deck was emptying of personnel. He reached the door to Jane’s room and barely noticed it was unlocked. As he stormed in, ready to give Jane a piece of his mind, he felt the words die in the back of his throat at what he saw.

            The room was spartan, Jane’s gear was on the floor sloughed off and forgotten in a way that John had never seen Jane do, as if she dropped the weapons and armor as she entered. In the front corner Jane was curled up, Blasto curled up beside her. He raised his head to look at John before returning to rest beside his mistress.  Jane was curled up in the corner, her knees in front of her chest and her forehead resting on them. Her hands were on her head and there was no mistaking the sounds of her sobs.  
  
            John sighed. He made his way to his sister, ignoring the varren watching his every move. With another sigh he sat next to Jane on the ground and waited. Jane did nothing but continue to sit there, her arms wrapped around her knees and her face pressed into them as she sobbed.  
   
            “Tell me what happened,” John prodded gently, his anger completely gone. “Why did you go to the other catwalk?”  
   
            Jane looked up, her arms dropping to the side and she turned her head towards him.  
   
            “I turned off my comm. I knew the drill.  I used your hand signals most of the way from the drop,” Jane confessed. “I couldn’t see when we converged...when I turned it back on I realized you must have changed channels. I was mad and I turned off my comm earlier, I missed the orders.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Garrus saved my life and nearly died. That should have been me...”  
   
            John ground his teeth for a moment, doing his best not to look angry. Jane had ignored him, again. She had actually turned off hers comms during a mission just to ignore him and his orders.  
   
            "So you didn't hear anything then? Not us speaking to Kal'Reegar, Legion's assessment of the battle field, and me asking you to join us on the catwalk? My order to switch channels?" John clarified. Jane nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks and John sighed again. "Never again okay? I know you have more experience than I do now but I do know what I'm doing. You know me trusting you again means you have to trust me again too."  
   
            Jane sniffled and nodded. John shook his head and scooted closer to Jane, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Jane stiffened under his arm for a moment. "Garrus is going to be okay. He'll be on his feet in a couple of days and on light duty for a week." More tears fell and she dropped her head back to her knees, wrapping her arms around them before sobbing.  
   
            “Thank God...” she sobbed. “I can’t lose another one.”   
   
            John felt taken aback at that. "Who did you lose? I thought the Normandy team was still around. Was it someone else? Another team after I got...lost?"  
   
            Jane turned her head to stare at John. She looked at him, tears still on her cheeks. Was this man really John? He was about as dense as her brother. Hearing that Garrus would make it made her feel more in control. She stared at John.  
  
            “I have lost my parents, my home, my friends, my comrades, and it never ends. I have ordered my men to their deaths and I have watched them die in situations I could never prevent. I have to live with not making it in time to save people I care about. I have to live with knowing my brother died alone in the vacuum of space and that one of my most loyal friends nearly died because I was stupid and careless enough to break contact. I keep living...” She said, her eyes wide and tired. “I cannot lose another...”   
     
            "Ah," John said simply, understanding. It haunted him too some nights. Mindoir, people he'd gotten killed. He'd had to make those choices too but he'd never lost anyone as close to him as Jane and he were. Not since their parents had been killed. He thought for a moment and wondered how he would be if Jane had been the one lost that Cerberus had found. Would he still be a Spectre or would he be so mad with grief that he'd have broken. "I...I can't promise it will never happen again but I will promise I will do my damnedest to make sure it doesn't."  
  
            He hesitated. If he said this he would have to acknowledge the possibility. Just the tiniest doubt that lingered in his mind but Jane needed to hear this.  
  
            "I understand why you don't trust me." John began. Jane stared at him. Her bloodshot eyes cautious but she was listening.  
  
            "I know there might be the chance, the smallest, most remote chance I'm not who I think I am," John allowed, swallowing a sudden lump in his throat.  
  
            Jane realized this was not something he was comfortable saying...or he was one of the best actors she had ever seen. But his voice was calm in a way that was so John, she wanted to believe.

  
            "I could be a clone, some high tech VI in this body that just thinks he's John Shepard. Maybe even an AI put in here somehow," John allowed. Looked down at Jane and smiled softly. "But I might just be the real me. And if I am just trust me a bit. Just trust me to let me help us get everyone home. We've done pretty well so far. We've gotten Garrus and Tali back, rescued a woman from the worst prison in the galaxy and even are raising a baby Krogan together with a _very_ crazy Salarian doctor. It's like old times, we even have a Geth friend on the team. Just trust us enough and we'll do our best together to get everyone home."  


            Jane stared at him, her face closed. The sorrow and pain from before suddenly locked behind a blank expression. For a moment John wondered if the shitty attitude would be back.   
  
            “Garrus is alive because we worked together. I will trust you to lead and we’ll figure out who you really are together,” she said. Blasto barked happily from his place beside the two.

 

            “Spectres? I hate to interrupt, but the Illusive Man needs to speak with John immediately. He says the Collectors have attacked another colony.” EDI call out in to the room. John gently pulled away and stood. He went to head for the conference room but stopped. He turned and faced Jane, considering. Then he held a hand out to her.

 

            “Let’s go talk to him. Together.” John offered. Jane glanced at his hand and then looked up into John’s face. The she reached out and took his hand.

 

            "Mind if I clean up first," Jane said, her eyes still red as he helped her to her feet.

 

            "A cold shower should help," John suggested.

 

End of Chapter 15

 

~*TF*~

 

OMAKE 1

 

            “So where’s Jane right now?” John asked after checking in on Garrus.

 

            “Oh I’m sure she’s off in her room-”

 

            Meanwhile in her room.

 

            “GOD DAMN IT SHIT!” Jane screamed, her biotic energy wilding tearing apart her room around her.

 

            “- _coping_.”

 

OMAKE 2

 

            Jane entered the forward battery and noticed the mattress from Miranda's room.

 

            "Is that Miranda's mattress?" she asked.

 

            "Was it the one left in the galley?" Garrus asked from the panel and Jane smiled.

 

            "Yes it was," she purred. "Garrus, I need your help with a project."

 

            "Sure thing, Shepard," Garrus said and Jane pulled up a mobile camera.

 

            "How do you feel about revenge porn?" she asked and Garrus gulped nervously.

 

A few hours later...

 

            "...she's reckless and a danger to the team," Miranda nagged John on the bridge before she got an alert on her omni-tool. "And now she's sending me messages!" John looked over.

 

            "It is titled, Accept this Please, maybe it's an apology," John suggested and Miranda opened the message. Immediately the unmistakable sound of rutting filled the bridge. "Oh God...is that Garrus?!"

 

            "Is that my mattress?!" Miranda shrieked.

 

            "Can I get a copy of that?" Joker asked

 

OMAKE 3

 

            “Which is why I should be his teacher in biotic combat, not you!” Jane countered. “I know almost as much as an Asari Commando!”

 

            “No! This is not about biotics! This is about tactics you would never use against biotics because you are one! He needs to know how to counter them!” John barked. He turned to storm away when he heard it. The slight crackle of biotics coming to fore. He dove to the left, rolling away and then to his feet as Jane used a biotic Stasis where he had just been. He rushed Jane and checked her with a shoulder sending her back.

 

            “Oh this is it!” John roared. “I’m going to teach you a fucking lesson.”

 

            “What are you doing! Where did you get that?! No, John no! Don’t you dare!”

 

            “This worked for Dad when you were being a little brat!” SMACK!

 

            “John stop that, this is so wrong!”

 

            “What did you do wrong?” SMACK!

 

            “Damn you!”

 

            “What did you do?!” SMACK!

 

            “Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” Jane began crying like a baby.

 

OMAKE 4

 

            Jane looked up at Garrus, he had flung them both to safety from the geth approaching. Jane gasped and Garrus grinned before bouncing slightly.

 

            "What did we land on that is so squishy?" he asked before a blast of biotics threw him across the battlefield.

           

            "OH MY GOD MY BREASTS!" Jane cried in complete agony.

 

            "What are breasts?" Garrus asked from where he landed upside down by Mordin.

 

            "Fatty tissue located on the chest of human females and asari," Mordin commented. “Most species find them attractive in basic biological sense.” Mordin took in a deep breath. “Also make me think of old breeding contracts.”

 

            "They're bouncy," Garrus offered.

 

            "Grunt wants to try!" Grunt cried running across the battlefield.

 

            "Oh God no!" Jane screamed.

 

OMAKE 5

 

            No one knew where John got the karate gi. Not for himself nor the one that fit Grunt perfectly.

 

            “How did I beat you?” John said using his best wise monk voice.

 

            “John this is not the Matrix!”

 

            “How do you know?” John said to Jane in the same tone of voice. “I mean we could just be virtual representations of someone else in this universe. Our actions and choices controlled by them.”

 

            “…that’s stupid. You’re stupid…”

 

OMAKE 6

 

            "It's good to be working with you again, Shepard," Tali said as she and Jane looked up at the core of the Normandy.

 

            "Haven't directly worked together since that incident with Cerberus on the Flotilla," Jane commented and Tali nodded.

 

            "Thank you again," Tali grinned.

 

            "So..." Jane began and Tali looked at her.

 

            "What?" Tali asked.

 

            "How about that Kal'Reegar?" Jane said and Tali's light blinked quickly.

 

            "No," she said and Jane grinned.

 

            "He was cute," Jane said.

           

            "You couldn't even see his face," Tali stated.

 

            "Okay so he had a nice body," Jane grinned and Tali sighed. "You quarians purposely design armor to make your asses look that good?"

 

            "Shepard!" Tali cried, covering her butt.

 

            "Don't worry, John loves the view, now about Kal'Reegar. What about you and him?" Jane laughed before noticing Tali was gone. Her eyes widened in realization. "No Tali! Go to Kal, not my moron brother! Fuck, I suck as a matchmaker!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby Note: *stretches in his chair and groans happily as his joints pop* Well that was fun. Time for the Vakarian fans to call out for our blood. I hope you all enjoyed it. I know Belle like writing Jane’s parts.
> 
> Belle Note: I won't lie guys, this chapter had some major fights between me and Toby, (Toby: Oh yeah, big time. Belle: Oh hush!) mostly because we wanted to best convey the humanity of our characters. I wanted a feeling that Jane is not the superhuman Spectre that so many think she is. She is a soldier and she has a human psyche which has been under completely too much pressure. Toby wanted people to understand that John is not some submissive follower, he is the Commander of the Normandy and he is trying to ease his fucked up sister into believing he is who he says he is but he is done with her shit. This was a very hard chapter to write because we wanted our Shepards to still be heroes and amazing characters, but we still wanted them to be human. Humans are not perfect and I especially was upset by how many people commented on how "perfect" Jane was. Jane is not perfect, she is bearing an unbelievable amount of survivor's guilt. She has cut off all of her close personal bonds and is slowly regaining them. While Jane was being a bad ass Spectre she was far from perfect. She couldn't confirm the Collectors were attacking the colonies, she ignored her friends from the Normandy, she became a brutal warrior who would desecrate bodies to use psychological warfare on Batarians, that in my mind is not a perfect person. Bad ass, yes, scary, yes, but perfect, hell no. However, please keep reading and I hope we keep living up to your expectations.


	17. And I Wonder if I Ever Cross Your Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepards and crew must travel to Horizon, but now the timeline is changing, they have Tali and both Kaidan and Ash are alive. John must accept that Jane is not at her mental best while she must accept that she is only human and is starting to fall apart after too long working to fill the place of her brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle's Note: I will admit it, I am a lover of DLC. I can honestly say there are very few DLC add-ons I have ever regretted. I think I have enjoyed all of the Bioware ones. But then, I am in a quasi-abusive relationship with Bioware. 
> 
> Toby’s Note: Oh my God is that true. I usually get the DLC for a game before Belle but every time one came out for Mass Effect or Dragon Age she always beat me to them. I also believe BioWare doesn’t treat us this way on purpose. They sold themselves to the devil who creates sports games every six months that are essentially the same game as last time and is now firmly forcing Loot Box leeches on us. Seriously, if we published chapters by loot box you’d each need to pay $2.50 per paragraph. *thinks that over for a minute* Actually that appeals to the greedy bastard in me. Better not…
> 
> And thank Belle straight up for this chapter. She got it to me within a week after we published 15. *thumps head on desk* Yeah, no pressure to get it back to you right away, Belle. Oh, what’s that? Why isn’t 17 done already? *grumbles and waves his left hand at her with two broken fingers*

Chapter 16: And I Wonder if I Ever Cross Your Mind

 

Earth Date: January 31st, 2186 CE

Location: In Transit, Far Rim

 

            As the Shepards entered the conference room, Jane's hair was still damp from her shower, the red was gone from her eyes and the blank look she kept on her face she used in a fight was back in place. John considered saying something but decided against it.

 

            "Patch us through, EDI," John ordered.

 

            "Both of you?" she asked and he nodded as Jane shot him a look.

 

            "The Illusive Man should recognize I'm not working alone. I am a Spectre and he should know both of us are on this ship by now," John said in aside to her. Jane watched as the conference table descended into the floor. John gave her a look before striding forward and she followed him so they were standing side by side in the center. The holographic interface went up and Jane saw him as the hologram filled the room. The Illusive Man. The man was considered a ghost by Alliance brass. Cerberus operatives captured by the Alliance had addressed him only as The Illusive Man, "The" was used as if it were part of the name. The only report that had been issued about him indicated he was the only one. Some of the brass suspected The Illusive Man wasn't real, now Jane knew. Augmented blue eyes looked at Jane, no emotion on his face. She gave him the same back.

 

            "Jane Shepard. A pleasure to meet you," he said and Jane tilted her head. "I underestimated you. I should have invited you in from the beginning."

 

            "I would have rejected your offer and you know that," Jane said. "Too much bad blood between us." He nodded at that.

 

            "Enough pleasantries then, Shepards. I think we have them. Horizon...one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems-has been suspiciously silent," The Illusive Man said and while Jane didn't move, her heart stopped. She knew Horizon, she had recommended it on the list of most likely to be hit colonies. Her recommendation had gotten Kaidan and Ash co-assigned there. Kaidan and Ash were on the colony about to be taken by the Collectors and they would not be able to warn them. Fuck. "If it isn't under attack, it will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?"

 

            "Not yet," John reported.

 

            "Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know," The Illusive Man said, his eyes flickering to Jane. "Two of your former crew, Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams, are stationed on Horizon."

 

            "Last I knew they were both Alliance, why would they be out in the Terminus Systems together?" John muttered.

 

            “Most likely the woman beside you can answer that,” The Illusive Man drawled and both men looked at Jane. John had a look of surprise on his face and The Illusive Man was smirking at Jane who sighed.

 

            "Cerberus likes to think they are the only ones looking out for humanity, but we knew we had to do something. We looked at the Terminus colonies and did a risk assessment. We created several two-man teams to go to each one," Jane explained. "We sent the teams with defense guns to try and protect the colonies. Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies, but it has always been to try and stop the abductions."

 

            "So, the Collectors just happen to pick a colony with members of our former crew? I don't buy believe for a second that’s a coincidence," John said and Jane nodded. It was too convenient, there were seven teams on the most likely to be hit colonies out of the over two dozen potential colonies in the Terminus, the chances of the Collectors just randomly going after Horizon was too small to be coincidence.

 

            "It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they are working for the Reapers. They might be going after them to get to you," The Illusive Man noted, looking at John as he spoke. "I assume you will be informing the Alliance." His eyes moved to Jane and she nodded.

 

            "They need to know we were right about Horizon being a target, but we will able to make it to Horizon before Alliance back up can arrive," Jane said. “The relay here connects us there quicker than from the Sol system or any other closer fleet patrol.”

 

            "Good to know they won't be getting in our way," The Illusive Man drawled, before taking a drag of his cigarette. "I'll send them a message personally giving them all the data you discover."

 

            "Send the coordinates. We'll head straight there," John said and The Illusive gave them both a calculated look.

 

            "I've been trying to reach you since you left for Haestrom, the colony may not have much longer," he said and both Shepards shared a look. "This has been the most warning we have had, let us hope your detour didn't cost us that. Good luck." The communication cut out shortly after that. John frowned and shook his head before turning on his comms.

 

            "Joker, set a course for Horizon. I've got to go see the professor," John said and Jane followed him.

 

            _"Aye, aye, Commander,"_ Joker responded and the two headed into the research lab. Mordin was staring at one of the seeker insects John had acquired on Freedom’s Progress from Veetor.

 

            "Please tell us you have something," Jane said as they approached. For a moment Mordin's face was dark before a pleased smile bloomed on his face. Jane prayed they would make it to Horizon in time.

 

            “Yes,” Mordin said, turning to the table in the room and pulling up a display of basic armor. “Have discovered seekers sense bioelectrical energy. Any living creature large enough will be sought out by seekers. Explains why quarian on Freedom’s progress not taken. His encounter suit masked said signature. Not even cloaking technology does this, need had never been established previously but Veetor was slightly-” Mordin took in a deep breath. “-unstable. Made various personal modifications to suit.”

 

            “Can you adapt this for our armor?” John asked and Mordin nodded.

 

            “Modification simple but not effect against physical contact. If several seekers repeatably impact live flesh swarm will note location. Also, seekers are tuned for only energy of higher life forms.” Mordin said, looking at Jane. “Creatures such as varren will be ignored.”

 

            “Good to know, Blasto will be a big help then in case we have to wait while a swarm passes.” Jane noted.

 

            “How long to complete the upgrades for the entire team Mordin?” John inquired. “This is going to be a full team deployment.”

 

            “Several hours. Process relatively simple but need to create module to alter armor.” Mordin noted, gesturing at a device on the table John assumed was the prototype. “Tali’Zorah and Legion would be ideal given their capabilities.”

 

            “Go ahead and get them up here so you can start right away,” John said gesturing to Jane to leave with him. “We’re heading straight for Horizon.”

 

            “Understood, will begin right away,” Mordin noted, turning on his omni-tool as they left.

 

            "Jane, I need to ask you something," John said as they exited the lab and Jane looked at him. "It's something personal. Come up to my cabin." She nodded and the two went up to his quarters.

 

            "Cerberus certainly does try and seduce with its opulence," Jane muttered as she looked at the room. John looked at her before leaning against his desk.

 

            "What happened between you and Kaidan?" he asked and Jane froze. Her face locked down and her eyes moved slowly towards him. "I need to know before we get to Horizon."

 

            "We broke up after the Normandy was destroyed," Jane said.

 

            "I get that, but what caused the break up?" he asked and Jane stared at him.

 

            "The death of John Shepard," Jane explained. John just stared at her, his eyes wide. How was his death what drove them apart?

 

            "How..." he started before Jane cut him off with a shake of her head.

 

            "Kaidan blamed himself and made it clear he felt he didn't deserve me so he left, and I realized just being with me would only make him feel worse so I let him go," Jane said. "It happens. I haven't seen him in about a year." She turned to leave.

 

            "You recommended that Ash and Kaidan work together didn't you, you might even have tapped them for this team," John said and Jane froze at the door.

 

            "You can break up with someone and still respect them for the job they do. Besides, the two of them helped bring down Saren and Sovereign, they know each other and can keep each other alive," Jane said. "So...yes, I did nominate the two of them for this job and I did recommend that they work together." She walked out of the room.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 6th, 2186 CE

Location: Shadow Sea, Iera System, Approaching Horizon

 

            _"There’s nothing on the comms,"_ Joker reported as the ground team prepared to disembark in the shuttle bay. Jane was with Blasto, Jack, Tali, and Kasumi were checking their gear on one side, while Grunt, Mordin, Miranda, and John were preparing on the other. John noticed the two kukris blades on the small of Jane's back as well as the additional clips she was putting on her legs and chest. It looked to him like she was prepared for all out bloodshed.

 

            "Reminder to biotics, biotic energy is a useful tool against seekers, may prove useful against Collectors as well," Mordin spoke up suddenly. Jane and Jack exchanged a high five.

 

            "I'm sticking with you two," Kasumi stated and John rolled his eyes as the elevator doors to the cargo bay opened.

 

            "You're not planning on leaving without me?" Garrus asked as he strolled in the room.

 

            "Do you have medical clearance?" John asked and Garrus gave him a look.

 

            "It was a graze, light duty for that long and I was going crazy, also...Ash and Kaidan are friends," he said and Jane gave him a look. "Besides, how can I keep saving your sister's ass if I'm not there?"

 

            "Still not funny," Jane commented.

 

            "Oh, but you can make rocket to the face jokes?" Garrus chuckled and Jane gave him a look.

 

            "The rocket wasn't aimed at me," she shot back just before she whistled and Blasto jumped into the shuttle right after her.

 

            "God, Shepard, you're going to make me sick with your flirting," Jack said as she climbed in behind Jane.   

 

            "I can kill you Jack," Jane's voice carried out of the shuttle.

 

            "Haven't done shit in practice," Jack retorted.

           

            "I will destroy you, bitch," Jane teased.

 

            "Are they friends or should I be worried about making it to the planet?" Tali asked and Kasumi smiled.

 

            "Oh, they're getting along fine,” Kasumi replied. “It’s sweet, like two rabid varren playing!"

 

            "I'll agree to the rabid varren stament,” Miranda huffed and John rolled his eyes as the rest of the team began to board the shuttle.

 

            "More reminiscent of male human bonding than female, but close association without follow through indicates empty threats," Mordin stated.

           

            "Get in the shuttle Garrus, we have a job to do," John sighed, waving his friend inside. God the one person he had to worry about the least was the one who’d been shot.

 

~*TF*~

 

            The shuttle banked as Ensign Harrison found them a clear landing zone near a supply port with a break area that had a view of the surrounding farm land. As the rest of the team disembarked John was the last one out. He stopped and looked up at the Collector ship landed at the opposite side of the colony as the shuttle flew away. He frowned as he brought his assault rifle off his back and into his arms. He didn’t like being so far away from that ship but they had no choice. This was the best and clearest place for ground team entry. They would have to hoof it the rest of the way.

 

            “We're ground side.” John said into his comms. As he took his hand away from his ear piece he turned to look at Mordin as a swarm of seekers flew by in the distance. “Mordin, you sure those armor upgrades will protect us from the seeker swarms?”

 

            “Certainty impossible. But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms. In theory.” Mordin noted. John sighed. He’d suspected as much.

 

            “In theory?” Miranda drawled but John heard a note of concern in her voice.

 

            “Experimental technology. Only test is contact with seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if we survive!” Mordin said excitedly as they came around the corner.

 

            “We really need to establish safety guidelines for your tests involving crew, Mordin.” Jane noted to the salarian. John snorted and was about to say something when movement up ahead caught his eye. He saw several Collectors…flying in?

 

            “They can fly?” Jack demanded. “You never told me that Jane!”

 

            “I didn’t know they could do that!” Jane shouted back to her as the team all took cover and began to shoot at the Collectors. “None of the security footage showed them flying!”

 

            “Oh, this is starting off so well!” John snapped, gunning down a Collector that was trying to flank them.

 

            _“-omander…getting… interfe…can’t maintain…”_ Joker tried to call out to them before the comm signal cut into static. John frowned and glanced at Garrus who looked to him as well after checking his own comms.

 

            “The Collectors are disrupting communications,” Garrus noted and John grunted, looking over their cover and opening fire on an incoming group.

 

            “We’re on our own now,” Jane commented, shooting a Collector down. Jack used a biotic shockwave and blasted the remaining Collectors down the way. John gestured the team to move forward just before another squad of Collectors came around the corner, leading husks.

 

            “What the hell are those things?” Kasumi called out from somewhere nearby. John growled and blasted two husks down.

 

            “Husks!” John barked out. “Don’t let them get close, they’ll take down your shields!”

 

            “Blasto!” Jane barked out this time. “Engage!” Blasto let out a harsh barking sound and leaped from the right, plowing into a group of husks. The varren ripped the head off the one he landed on and lunged at another, grabbing its leg and tossing the husk into the last one in the group. John blinked in surprise, having lost track of the varren.

 

            “Okay, that was badass,” John admitted to his sister. Jane blinked at him in surprise as the team put down the last of the Collectors and husks. He missed her actually smile a bit at the praise as he walked up to the team. Mordin was examining a husk body while Miranda helped. Jacob and Garrus were keeping a look out as Grunt came over and frowned at it.

 

            “Sort of looks human. This one of the colonists?” Grunt growled.

 

            “They actually look like the husks the heretic Geth used on Eden prime,” John noted as he looked at the body. It looked almost like the husks from before but it seemed different, more advanced.

 

            “Confirms data from Illusive Man,” Legion noted, the panels on his head shifting. “Old Machines are aligned with Collector species.”

 

            “The geth made husks on Eden Prime by impaling them on spikes. We haven't seen any.” Garrus noted, gesturing around.

 

            “These aren't exactly the same as the creatures we fought on Eden Prime. They're more advanced...evolved.” Jane noted and John nodded in agreement.

 

            “The Collectors must have brought the husks. They're taking the colonists alive for something else.” Miranda noted, standing up as she dusted off her hands. “It explains why they look similar but different. They refined the process since Eden Prime.”

 

            “So, then the Collectors must be experimenting on the colonists. What are they up to?” John grunted. Mordin also stood, storing the samples he took on his belt.

 

            “Speculation unwise. Could be anything.” Mordin noted. “Hopefully data acquired on body will reveal causality.”

 

            “Guess we'll find out when we stop them.” Jane noted.

 

            “They still die when you shoot them.” Jack said, grinning evilly.

 

            “The Collectors aren't getting away with more victims.” John growled. “Let's move out people.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            After that initial encounter they moved deeper into the colony. It took them an hour to make their way in, and in that entire time nothing. Not one Collector or husk. Not one colonist either. It wasn’t until they got into a deeper loading area that they saw something. Pods. They appear to be of the same tech that the Collectors were using. They stopped to examine them and Jane even saw John find a Collector’s beam rifle near one of them. As he stowed it on his back to take back to the ship as he took a closer look at the pod.

 

            "There's a person in there," John said, looking in the pod that the Collector weapon he found was beside. Jane stared at the empty colony.

 

            "They've been loading the people up," Jane stated, her mind thinking about the design of the colony. The ship was on the outside of the colony about a hundred and thirty degrees to the left from their drop point. They were moving slightly right and had only found these pods and no colonists at this point.

 

            "Collectors have most likely loaded nearly three quarters of the colonists onto their ship by now," Mordin stated as John smacked on the pod a few times trying to force it open.

 

            "How do you know?" Tali asked as she examined one to try and find some sort of control console.

 

            "Because this is the first pod we have found and based on our position, they would load the nearest colonists first and the furthest last, working from the edges inward," Jane said.

 

            "How the fuck did you figure that out?" Jack asked.

 

            "Mathematics," Miranda commented.

 

            "We need to move, we have to stop that ship from leaving," John said.

 

            "Our best bet is the AA defense guns," Jane noted. John nodded in agreement.

 

            "Then let's get to the major controls after we open these pods," John ordered. As they started to move towards a few pods a squad of Collectors flew in.

 

            "Do all of these fuckers fly?" Jack hissed in disgust.

 

            "We don't have time for this!" Jane snarled as she used a slam followed by a singularity to slow down the advancing attackers.

 

            "I am krogan!" Grunt roared and the team went into action. Jack was throwing Collectors into the wall while Garrus shot them through the head. Kasumi was cloaked and seemed to be watching their backs while Mordin used ranged attacks. John and Jane were both in the fray as Miranda covered them and Blasto hit the Collectors attempting to sneak up on Jane. It was going well until one of Collectors began to hover and light glowed through its exoskeleton.

 

            **"I am assuming direct control,"** an inhuman voice called and the Collector's eyes glowed. It looked as if it was on fire. **"Direct intervention is necessary."**

 

            "That does not look good," John stated.

 

            "Duck!" Jane cried as the glowing Collector threw what looked like a biotic blast at him. He threw himself to the side and as the blast hit the ground the grass ignited.

 

            "That was not a biotic attack," John commented. “It was on fire!”

 

            "That was a biotic attack," Miranda muttered in shock.

 

            "How the fuck...did it make a warp flammable?" Jane muttered, distracted. Kaidan and Ash had been here. How had they neutralized the colony. Jane thought about the outline of the colony. Kaidan and Ash would have been relatively near the center of the colony, unless they had been working on the guns. The chances were good they were already...collected. Panic was building. She had tapped them. She had picked them. If the Collectors had them...anything that happened would be Jane's fault!

 

            **"My attacks will tear you apart,"** the Collector called and more Collectors converged.

 

            "We're pinned," Garrus stated and Jane popped up, throwing a singularity towards a small group, catching them.

 

            "These count as my kill!" Jack snapped, glaring at Garrus and Jane.

 

            "Not if I don't kill them first," Garrus replied.

 

            **"We are your genetic destiny,"** the glowing Collector continued.

 

            "Anyone else creeped out by how it's talking without a mouth?" Kasumi asked and John shot a look in the direction of the voice. "What? It is."

 

            "Genetic destiny...may indicate Collectors are after humans for genetic variation," Mordin commented. "Taken humans might possibly be used for genetic experimentation."

 

            "Not comforting Mordin!" John snapped as he saw the look taking over Jane's eyes.

 

            **"This hurts you,"** the glowing Collector called.

 

            "Not as much as this will hurt you," Jane snapped as she popped up and shot three grenades at it with the grenade launcher she had brought.

 

            **"Shepard, I always survive,"** it hissed as it turned to face her.

 

            "So, do I fucker," Jane sneered before shooting once in the head with her pistol. It seemed to disintegrate into ash. The team quickly took out the few Collectors remaining while John and Jane stared at the ash.

 

            "That Collector knew who you were," John stated, frowning.

 

            "Until today...I have never seen a Collector," Jane said. "It knows who I am...which means it probably knows who you are."

 

            “But it focused on you.” John noted, focusing on Jane. “Why?”

 

            "We should head towards the center of colony," Miranda noted, drawing their attention. “These people should be fine and the sooner we stop them loading the ship the more people we’ll save.” Jane frowned at that as John appeared to consider her words.

 

            “I don’t like it but it makes sense.” John agreed. Jane’s frown turned into a scowl and she opened her mouth to argue against it but realized Miranda was right. She sighed but nodded in agreement. John signaled the team to move forward and they headed towards the center of the colony. Dead center was a large building with reinforced walls and doors.

 

            "It's locked," Tali said as she quickly began hacking the door.

 

            "A good sign, survivors probably in hiding," Mordin replied. The door opened and the team headed in. John glanced around, impressed. He recognized the setup, it was the colony bunker design he had recommended to Jane for her Mindoir report. He had no idea Jane had actually used it. He saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and focused on it. Someone was trying to hide between pieces of equipment and consoles.

 

            “Company” John noted, drawing his pistol, the others following his lead. “Get out here. Now!” John saw a colonist peeking around a storage container and he eased himself out as John lowered his gun, gesturing for the others to do so as well.

 

            “You're...you're human! What were you doing out there? You'll lead them right here!” The man moaned and John narrowed his eyes at him.

 

            “You had to hear them trying to get in. Seems like it's hard to hide from the Collectors.” Jane noted.

 

            “Those things are Collectors? You mean...they're real?” the colonist said in obvious surprise. “I thought they were just made up. You know...propaganda. To keep us in Alliance Space. No! They got Lilith. I saw her go down. Sten, too. They got damn near everybody!”

 

            “What's your name? What do you do here?” John asked. He gestured for the others to spread out and acquire anything they needed.

 

            “Name's Delan. Mechanic. I came down to check on the main grid after we lost our comm signals.” Delan said as the others spread out and John even saw Mordin treating a graze on Jack’s arm. “Then I heard screaming. I looked outside and there was...swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I sealed the doors. Damn it....it's the Alliance's fault! They stationed those two marines here. That Alenko and Williams. They built those defense towers. It made us a target.” John heard Jane growl softly under her breath as he spoke and he glanced at Jane. She was scowling angrily at him, her left fist was clenched.

 

            “Tell me more about these Alliance reps.” John ordered him.

 

            “Commander Alenko and Chief Williams? Heard they were some kind of heroes or something. Didn't mean nothing to me, though. Would've rather they stayed back in Council space.” Deland snarled and John shook his head. “They were supposed to be helping us get the defense towers up and running. I got the feeling they were here for something else. Spying on us, maybe. But they brought what they called a gift from the Alliance. High powered GARDIAN lasers. Supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony. Had to build a massive underground generator just to give it enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online. So, the Alliance gave us a giant gun that couldn't shoot straight. Stupid sons of bitches.”

 

            “Can’t argue with that sometimes,” John muttered under his breath, thinking of his court martial that was a not an official court martial and subsequent discharge.

 

            “Why do you think this is the Alliance's fault?” Jane demanded.

 

            “We're just a small colony. Nobody bothered us before we started building those damn defense towers and drew attention to ourselves. I left Council space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed up with them.” Deland noted and John snorted.

 

            “The Collectors are targeting remote colonies. The Alliance was trying to help.” Jane retorted.

 

            “I don't need their help. Too many strings attached. Those reps said they were just here to get the towers online but mark my word...there's more to it.” Deland said and Jane was now glaring openly at the man.

 

            “If you have defenses we can use them against the Collector ship!” Jacob said from behind them.

 

            “You'd need to calibrate the targeting system first. It's never worked right...” Delan said bitterly.

 

            “We can figure it out. Just tell us where to find it.” Miranda said, joining the conversation.

 

            “Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony. Pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base.”

 

            “It’s probably better for you to stay here out of the way,” John said, gesturing for the team to head for the exit.

 

            “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking too,” Deland drawled. Jane took a step towards him but John pulled her along by the arm. “I'll let you out, but I'm locking the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck. I think you're going to need it.”

 

            As the group exited the building Jane shot John a look.

 

            “You realize he probably locked other survivors out of that room too.” Jane snapped to John. John sighed and gestured behind them as they left.

 

            “I wish to God I could prove that.” John replied and Jane huffed. She turned to focus on the area they were entering, noting that there were more pods. Jane looked in the direction of the transmitter tower. Ash and Kaidan would probably have tried to fight their way to the targeting system. They had to be in this part of the colony...not loaded on the ship. Please God, not loaded onto the ship. It all depended where they were when the attack came. Hopefully they got this far. As the team turned the corner into a courtyard more Collectors swarmed in. There was another glowing one.

 

            **"I am Harbinger. Your minions have failed, Shepard,"** it said and Jane's heart was in her throat. They knew about Kaidan and Ash! Blinding rage narrow her vision of the battlefield so the only thing she saw was the glowing one. She was suddenly in front of it, her head spinning. She knew vaguely in the back of her mind that it was a vanguard rush, but she had never completed it before. She was dazed but not enough to forget her blades. She drew them both and decapitated the Collector before throwing up a barrier, sheathing the blades and drawing her pistol faster than she ever had.

 

            John didn’t understand what had just happened. The glowing Collector had snarled at Jane and she had just…vanished, leaving a trail of biotic energy behind her. Miranda had sucked in a breath at the sight of while Jack laughed behind them as Jane charged up the stairs.

 

            “Spread out!” John ordered, blasting a Collector in half with his shotgun. “They’re trying to pin us down by the entrance!”

 

            **“Assuming control. You escaped us before, Shepard, not again,”** John heard bellowed from somewhere in front of them and cursed. He saw a group of them heading for where Jane was and he charged for the building, racing after his sister.

 

            Jane was in a rage that would do Wrex proud as she shielded and shot. Her pistol clicked empty and the Collector before her took on an arrogant body posture. She couldn't die to a giant bug, not when Kaidan needed her. She rushed the Collector, tucking its weapon under her left arm before bashing it in the face with her pistol. It staggered before releasing its weapon. Jane dropped the pistol and lifted the Collector's rifle, blasting it away with a beam of energy. She heard the movement around the side of the building and ran headlong at it, screaming. Kaidan needed her, he was going to be used for genetic research. No organism taken by the Collectors for genetic research had ever been seen again. As she rounded the corner she never expected an arm to curl around her at neck height. The agony of the clothesline hit was bad, her momentum was worse, her feet went up and the Collector drove her body down. Jane's back slammed into the ground, shoving all air out of her lungs. The pain was livable, the Collector foot slamming down on her chest indicated this encounter might not. The second mission in a row where her own stupidity was going to kill her. As fast as the Collector had gotten her to the ground and was aiming, John was there, tackling the Collector. He rolled to the side and Blasto was leaping right over him, removing the Collector's head from its body with a large bite.

 

            "Jane, calm down. I don’t know what it said to you but you need to calm down." John chided, pulling his sister to her feet. "I know we're trying to get to the others but I won't let you kill yourself to do it." Jane rubbed her throat, panic and rage clear in her eyes. 

 

             "I won't let another one of my men die if I can do anything to stop it!" she cried. John grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her.  
  
            "We're trying, damn it!" he shouted at her. "But if we all die trying to get to them then it will have been for nothing!" He glanced over Jane's shoulder and saw Garrus coming up behind them, plainly worried. "I'm not the only one on this team that cares about you." He said to her softly and turned to take point, letting Garrus come up behind her but staying within ear shot. Garrus looked at Jane.

 

            "You okay?" Garrus asked and Jane stared at him, his eyes were on her throat.

 

            "Sorry, went into a krogan blood rage, don't tell Wrex or he'll have to adopt me," she joked in her new raspy voice and Garrus chuckled.

 

            "I make no promises," he teased. The rest of the group entered the room as Jane took control of her emotions again.

 

            "I didn't know you could do a biotic rush," Jack smirked and Jane rubbed her throat.

 

            "I didn't either," Jane hissed, she slowly realized that talking made her throat hurt, her voice box was probably damaged. "We need to keep going."

 

            "One sec..." John stated and Jane gave him a look. "Mordin, quick check." Mordin ran his omni-tool over Jane before making her open her mouth wide. He spayed a mist into her throat and Jane sighed in relief.

 

            "Bruises for the most part, some stain to the throat, non-threatening," the salarian commented and John huffed.

 

            “Spread out everyone.” John began. “We still have to clear the area and by now-”

 

            **“We are Harbinger! Kill one and a hundred will replace it!”** A Collector bellowed and John sighed. **“I will direct this personally!”**

 

            “I knew that was going to happen.” John grunted. He peered out the window and saw the glowing Collector, now he knew the thing controlling it was calling itself Harbinger. Harbinger was directing the others into cover as a swarm of husks showed up. John blinked in surprise as something that looked like several husks stitched together came lurching behind them. It was big and bulbous, with what appeared to be a big organic gun growing from the front.

 

            “What the fuck is that?” Jack demanded, looking out window as well. It aimed at them and an energy blasted fired from its gun, impossibly impacting on the ground and then up the wall toward them. Jack leaped back but the blast hit Jacob who wasn’t expecting it. It threw him back as it collapsed his shields. Jacob growled and tried to bring up a barrier but the energy from the blast was shimmering over his armor. It was very slowly beginning to fade.

 

            “We’ve got to spread out, we’re sitting ducks in here!” Kasumi noted.

 

            “Jane take Jack and Blasto.” John ordered, pointing back out the way they had all entered. “Focus on the husks but take out what Collectors you can.”

 

            “Oh yeah!” Jack bellowed, her barrier flaring to life. “I’m gonna rip them all in half!” Jane nodded and followed Jack out as the convict rushed into battle. John glanced the others over and nodded.

 

            “Garrus, you and Legion turn this into your perch. Jacob and Mordin will stay here to make sure you don’t get flanked.” John ordered, focusing on Jacob. “Jacob, I want you to see how long it takes for you to be able to bring your shields back up.”

 

            “Understood,” Jacob said. Legion and Garrus were already moving to the windows to take position.

 

            “Grunt you’re front line with me.” John ordered and looked at Miranda, Tali and Kasumi. “The rest of you, you’re behind us. Cover our flanks as we cut in. We’re focusing on the big boys.”

 

            “Ready when you are John!” Tali cried. John smiled at her eagerness and led them to the other exit from the room. They moved down the stairs and right into a squad of Collectors. John blasted two right away as Grunt bellowed and charged right into the mess, stomping one under his feet and shoving the others aside. John saw Tali’s drone materialize in the mess of them, distracting them further. John shoved one over the side and blasted another.

 

            “John, on the right!” Miranda shouted behind him. John looked right and saw the Harbinger possessed Collector leading a husk-thing right at them.

 

            **“Scion, fire!”** Harbinger bellowed. The husk-thing bucked as its gun fired. Everyone dove out of the way and John hit the ground by the ramp. Unable to stop his momentum he rolled down the ramp near Harbinger’s feet.

 

            “Oh shit.” John snarled just as Harbinger reached down and clamped a clawed hand on his shoulder. He lifted John bodily into the air.

 

**“Your body will be preserved, Shepard,”** Harbinger growled, his free hand beginning to glow.

 

            “No thanks been dead once before,” John snarled, kicking out and planting the heels of both his feet in the possessed Collector’s eyes. Harbinger bellowed and jerked, letting John go to clutch at its host’s mangled face. John saw the Scion charging for another attack and had a crazy idea. He growled, reaching out and used every ounce of strength he had to pick up the possessed Collector. With a scream of rage he jammed in onto the Scion’s gun. The possessed Collector actually squealed and John bolted away, leaving it hanging for a moment. Then the Scion fired causing Harbinger and the Scion to explode in a fireball of biotic energy, sending chunks of the walkway, Collector and Scion everywhere, one piece of walkway narrowly missing John. He took a few deep breaths before he looked up and over the crate he’d taken cover behind. He saw the Scion that had hit Jacob was swaying on its feet before collapsing down. The rest of the Collectors were already down and none of the husks lasted much longer after.  John took a breath and headed for the entrance the center of colony, most of the squad following him in a kind of shocked surprise. Only Jane was glaring at him. As she got close she smacked him on the arm.

 

            “Hey!”

 

            “Don’t do that again!” she scolded him and John rolled his eyes as they entered the center area and headed for the defense towers controls.

 

            “I’ll try not to.” He retorted. He entered his access codes into the console and frowned as they errored out. He glared at it before he realized the Alliance must have already rescinded them. Jane sighed and gently pushed him aside to enter her own. Jane frowned as she got the same error message. John shook his head and tried his comms.

 

            "Normandy do you copy?" John called.

 

            _"Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you,"_ Joker responded.

 

            "EDI...can you get the colony's defense towers online?" John asked.

 

            _"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified, but it will take time to bring the towers to full power,"_ EDI explained. _"I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."_

 

            "The Collectors will try to stop it," Grunt chuckled. "Good."

 

            "Got any other helpful hints?" John sighed.

 

            _"Just one. Enemy reinforcements are closing in. I suggest you ready weapons,"_ EDI stated.

 

            "Jane and Jack, take cover and take out the husks, help out with any Scions that show up. Mordin stick close to Tali. Miranda, Tali, and Kasumi stick near the transmitter and keep it safe, focus on Collectors. Garrus, find a good spot to drop anything you can kill with one hit. Grunt and I will take on the Scions first and then turn our attention onto the Collectors," John ordered.

 

            The team broke, Kasumi quickly going cloaked while Tali and Mordin took cover on the two trucks near the transmitter. Miranda chose the other truck on the other side of the transmitter. Jack took cover under the overhang between two boxes while Garrus, Jane, and Blasto were on the walkway, protected by the wall and two building units. John and Grunt both prepared for the next attack.

 

            The Collectors came first, but the husks seemed to climb over the walls to get in and John wondered if the Scions just teleported. The team was fighting well, their cover well chosen and each watching the backs of the others. Jane and Jack's biotics threw husks and weakened the defenses of the Scions easily.

 

            **"Assuming control** ," Harbinger's voice called and a Collector glowed. It looked at John. **"Preserve the Shepards' bodies if possible."**

 

            **“** Yeah fuck that,” John snarled, charging the possessed Collector. It seemed surprised at the move and John slugged it in the face, sending it staggering back. John saw it swinging a hand back at him and he narrowed his eyes as he felt his adrenaline spike. Time seemed to slow and John grabbed the incoming hand by the wrist as it charged a biotic attack in its hand. John shoved the hand into Harbinger’s stomach. There was almost a comical look of surprise on its face as its own biotic attack detonated and blasted it flying through air as it disintegrated. As soon as it finished disintegrating another one across the field cried out as it began to glow with a familiar glow. **"Assuming control of this form."**

 

            "Whatever that thing is, it keeps jumping into their bodies," Garrus growled, shooting the possessed Collector in the head as it began to back. It fell to the ground, as the possession started with another.

 

            "Definitely a problem for us," Jane growled. "EDI, please hurry!" Miranda threw herself out the way of a flaming biotic attack from Harbinger.

 

            **"Human; viable possibility, impressive genetic malleability,"** he said as he approached her. Garrus shot Harbinger in the head and it turned to look at them. It threw another biotic attack at them.

 

            "Thanks for getting his attention, Garrus," Jane hissed from cover.

 

            **"Turian; you are considered...too primitive,"** Harbinger commented.

 

            "Hey...that hurts my feelings," Garrus stated and Jane stood up, pulling up her own stolen Collector weapon and taking this Harbinger's head off before ducking down again. "You don't think I'm too primitive. Right?"

 

            "No, but we have back up coming in! So not the time Garrus," Jane stated as she used her rifle to try and shoot down a few of the incoming Collectors.

 

            **"We are the beginning, you are the end,"** Harbinger said across the field.

 

            "Does he ever shut up?" Jack cried, throwing a shockwave at a group of Collectors, sending them careening away.

 

            "I know, right?" Kasumi quipped as she took out another Collector before cloaking again. Finally, the field seemed clear. Jane moved towards John signaling Garrus to stay back.

 

            "Do you think that was it?" Tali asked from the truck bed she was taking cover in.

 

            "Seems too easy," John commented and then they saw something flying towards them. It looked similar to the Scion but seemed to be much larger.

 

            "Is that a giant seeker?" Grunt asked as the creature flew in. At first it bore a striking resemblance to the Collectors with its four eyes and domed skull but as it landed it opened its 'mouth' and revealed a collection of husks within it.

 

            "The fuck is that..." John muttered as it landed with a pulse that shook the ground. Miranda fell out of her truck bed as both Mordin and Tali lost their footing and fell down.

 

            "My God..." Jane whispered.

 

            "God had nothing to do with that..." Kasumi hissed from where her cloak hand been disabled by the landing creature.

 

            "It's looking at us, Shepard," Grunt grinned before high powered lasers knocked the krogan tail over dome, sending him skidding along the ground with his shields shattered. Jane threw a warp and the creature stared at them.

 

            "Well...now it's looking at us," John commented. The two dove in opposite directions as the creature shot lasers out of its eyes. Despite the heavy fire from the team would regularly re-shield when it slammed the ground. Jane watched in abject horror as Kasumi was thrown away by one ground slam. Jack was buried beneath the boxes she had taken for cover but the last straw for Jane was when it fired at Garrus and Blasto and there was the unmistakable yip from the varren. Once again, Jane felt the battlefield vanish between her and the creature. She had one special trick up her sleeve as she ran at the thing.

 

            "Jane no!" John cried as Jane ran up two boxes and threw herself on top of the creature. It began to try and throw her off. She pulled the grenade belt off with one hand while the other held the carapace of the creature. It shrieked and she activated one grenade before shoving the belt between the husks within the creature. As it spun in the air, physics won and Jane was sent flying back at the door they had come in through. She hit hard, the world swimming as gravity pulled her to the ground behind another truck.

 

            John's mind was a mixture of horror and anger. He couldn’t take his eyes off Jane as Blasto limped after her. John growled and whirled, determined to draw the praetorian’s attention but he needn’t have bothered. Just as EDI got the guns back online and began firing at the Collector vessel, it exploded. He turned to bark an order to Mordin to see to Jane but the Salarian was already there.

 

            Jane was dazed, her head pounding as Mordin hovered over her with Grunt nearby. Her vision began to clear and the headache began to recede as Blasto whined. Mordin helped her to her feet but she wasn’t even paying attention to him as she looked her varren over. The varren had a bloody scratch down his side but was otherwise fine. Her head ached still and despite Mordin’s field treatment she told herself to check in with Chakwas after this battle. She glanced up to see the cannons firing on the Collector ship as it ascended.

 

            "They have most of the humans on board. They got what they came for," Grunt muttered. Jane began limping over to where the team was converging.

 

            "God damn it, Jane," John started to snarl but was cut off as Delan seemed to appear from nowhere running towards them as the ship was ascending.

 

            "No! Don't let them get away!" he cried.

 

            "There's nothing we can do. They're gone," John said.

 

            "Almost all the colony is in there! They took Egan and Sam and ...and Lilith. Do something!" Delan cried as he paced.

 

            "Obviously we didn't want it to end this way," Miranda huffed.

 

            "We did what we could," John said, it was clear by his tone this was no victory.

 

            "It was a good fight, Shepards," Grunt commented and Delan froze.

 

            "Shepard? Wait. I know that name. Sure I remember you. You're that brother-sister pair, the big Alliance heroes," Delan didn't sound impressed.

 

            "Commander John Shepard, Captain of the Normandy, one of the first human Spectres, one of the Saviors of the Citadel," a voice said and Jane's body felt like it was going to collapse from relief, she hoped it didn't show. Around a corner he came, handsome as ever and just as serious. Kaidan Alenko. Kaidan was here...Kaidan was alive...tears threatened to swell but Jane let exhaustion win and she simply smiled. "Jane Shepard, Terror of the Hegemony, the other first human Spectre, one of the Saviors of the Citadel." His brown eyes met hers and she wondered if he felt any of the old feelings she currently was feeling. Nearly a year since she saw him at the Officers' Ball on the Citadel. She still loved him, even after he left her, maybe a part of her would always love him, he was her first love and her first real heartbreak.

 

            "You're in the presence of legends, Delan," Ash said as she came up behind Kaidan and Jane closed her eyes. She couldn't handle this get together.

 

            "And a ghost," Kaidan said, looking at John. John scowled at that.

           

            "All the good people we lost, and you two get left behind. Figures," Delan huffed. "Screw this. I'm done with you Alliance types." He left and Tali quickly came up behind him.

 

            "We're so glad you two are okay," she said and Kaidan stared at Garrus and Tali, his eyes flittered over Jane, but were back to John. Jane felt her heart break a little more. No...Kaidan felt this was best and probably embraced it. Jane was too tired.

 

            "Hmmm, best get you to the shuttle," Mordin stated as he caught Jane's arm.

 

            "Yeah, you look beat, She-Shep," Kasumi commented taking the other arm. The two helped her walk away. Jane suspected Kaidan wasn't even looking at her as she left the field. She didn't have anything to say anyway. She would send Ash a message later.

 

            John frowned at Jane as Kasumi and Mordin helped her walk away. His first instinct was to berate her when they got back to the ship but he realized he couldn’t do that. Jane had made a judgement call. Still he’d talk to her about at least trying to talk to him about options first. John just sighed and focused on the two in front of him. It looked like neither had change too much. They both looked a little tougher but Kaidan seemed uncomfortable.

 

            “Is she going to be alright, Shepard?” Ash asked, concerned. John grinned at her.

 

            “It’s Jane, she’ll be fine,” John replied. “She’s in good hands but I’m sure she’s got a thumping headache.”

 

            “We thought you were dead, Commander. We all did.” Kaidan broke in, looking uncomfortable.

 

            “It's been too long. How have you been?” John said. He winced as soon as he said the words. God that was stupid but what else could he say? ‘Hey I died! How have you two been?’

 

            “Is that all you have to say? You show up after two years and just act like nothing happened?” Kaidan snapped and John raised an eyebrow at him. “We would have followed you anywhere, Commander. Thinking you were gone...it was like losing a limb.”

 

            “You act like I choose to be gone for two years!” John retorted. Now he remembered why he disliked Kaidan so much. He had been Anderson’s pick for the team after the Captain had denied John’s request to have Jane join him as his team biotic.

 

            “Why didn't you try to contact us? Why didn't you let us know you were alive?” Ash demanded. John glanced at her, inclining his head. It was a fair question.

 

            “I was unconscious for two years.” John replied. “Jane was the first person I contacted and she informed the Alliance. Since then it’s been mission after mission dealing with the Collectors.”

 

            “Some of us did move on.” Ash said, glancing at Kaidan who shot her a glare. John focused on the man who shrugged.

 

            “I thought I did, but now we've got reports about you and Cerberus.” Kaidan replied. “And you dragged Jane in with you even after what they did on Akuze!”

 

            “Reports? So much for security but what can you do with Jane making reports straight back to Alliance headquarters,” Miranda said grumpily to Jacob. John turned to look and saw the rest of the teaming watching the exchange. John had to admit he’d forgotten they were all there.

 

            “Alliance intel indicated the Collectors might be behind the missing human colonies. They got a tip this colony might be the next one to get hit,” Kaidan snapped at Miranda and John rolled his eyes.

 

            “Where do you think they got the intel?” John snapped. “Jane has been talking to them. She’s my official liaison and observer since the Alliance railroaded me out.”

 

            “There were rumors that you weren't dead. That you were working for the enemy,” Ash said and gestured to the group next to John. “I can’t believe Tali and Garrus would be a part of this though.”

 

            “We’re trying to help protect human colonies, Ash,” Tali replied. “I felt the same way but John is leading this mission. Cerberus is just funding it.”

 

            “The Alliance turned its back on me and Cerberus brought me back. To me it seems like Cerberus is the only group willing to trust me to do something about it.” John continued after Tali.

 

            “You can't really believe that!” Kaidan snapped back. “We both know what Cerberus is like. What they're capable of. I wanted to believe the rumors that you were alive...that I hadn't caused...but I never expected anything like this. You turned your back on everything we stood for!” Ash seemed surprised at what Kaidan had said and John narrowed his eyes at him.

 

            “I turned my back on everything?!” John shouted at him. “I went back the _moment_ I could!” He gestured wildly at Miranda and Jacob. “I treated them like enemy spies and said nothing to them till I met Jane! I went back and the Alliance turned their back on me without even taking a second to even consider that every single piece of evidence I gave to them to prove I’m me! Since then I’ve had to deal with a sister who thinks I’m some Cerberus experiment! You were dating my sister and I found out you just up and left her while I was comatose!”

 

            “I want to believe you, Shepard. But I don't trust Cerberus.” Ash broke in, trying to bring John’s attention to her. “They could be using the threat of a Reaper to manipulate you.”

 

            “What if they're behind it? What if they're working with the Collectors?” Kaidan demanded and John growled.

 

            “Then I’ll kill every single one of them!” John bellowed, not even realizing what he was saying as Jacob sucked in a breath and exchanged a worry glance with Miranda even as Jack laughed happily. “But everything single thing I’ve seen, heard, and read from their own records and Spectre files indicates they’re not! So I’m trusting them because they’ve earned it! Holy hell didn’t you just see the Collectors? Their ship? Why would Cerberus waste billions of credits on me if they had access to _that_?!”

 

            “Damn it, Kaidan! You're so focused on Cerberus that you're ignoring the real threat!” Garrus barked, trying to give John a moment to cool down.

 

            “You're letting how you feel about their history get in the way of the facts,” John snapped. “Now you’re going to tell me what happened with Jane! Why wouldn’t you even look at her when she was right here? God damn it, even I could see she still loves you!”

 

            “That’s none of your business,” Kaidan replied stiffly.

 

            “The hell it isn’t!” John replied taking a couple of steps towards him. “You would know how hurt and confused she is and what she’s been through if you had just loved her like you did on the Normandy.”

 

            “She got over it just fine after I left, right after your funeral!” Kaidan retorted. “I saw her at that Officer’s Ball, hanging on Anderson’s arm. She’s doing just fine and I’m sure she doesn’t need me or anyone else now that her big bad brother is back.”

 

            Wham!

 

            Everyone seemed to jolt back as John slugged Kaidan in the left side of his jaw. Kaidan hit the ground with a loud thud and was clutching at his face, the left side already swelling. John seemed to just vibrate with fury as he stood there, doing everything in his power not to keep hitting the other man.

 

            “I don’t believe you!” John screamed at him. “You left her the same day of my _funeral_?! God damn it of course she needed you! She was alone after you left! We have no family and only the Normandy team were our real friends! You left her alone! No wonder she buried herself in being a Spectre! She probably thought she didn’t have anything after you left!” Kaidan said nothing, his jaw obviously broken. Everyone was glaring at him, even Ashley. He lowered his head.

 

            “You've changed John,” Ash said after a moment turning back to John. “And maybe the Alliance did turn their backs on you but I'm still an Alliance solder. Always will be. We have to report back to the Citadel. They can decide if they believe your story or not.” She knelt down to help Kaidan to his feet.

 

            “I wanted to ask you two to come back, to help me out like it was before.” John said bitterly, his temper starting to cool. “But I’ll never trust you with anyone I care about ever again Kaidan. Not my team, not my friends and certainly never again with Jane.” John focused on Ash. “Ash, if you ever want to talk. Get the real story about everything from me, contact Jane. She has the extranet address I’m using now. I could use you again.”

 

            “I’m sorry Shepard, but I’ll never work with Cerberus. Goodbye John,” Ash said, helping Kaidan away. John watched them walk away and narrowed his eyes. After a moment he turned around to head for the evac spot.

 

            “I’ve had enough of this colony,” John growled storming by his team. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            "So, was that your ex?" Kasumi asked as she helped Jane onto the shuttle. Blasto looked up at his mistress happily as Mordin healed the scratch on the varren’s side.

 

            "Yes, he was," Jane said. She felt tired, beaten down in a way she hadn't felt in years. Kaidan was alive, but...it hurt to see him, it hurt to think of him gone forever. She wished she could get over him.

 

            "Ah, that explains the changes in heart rate, was concerned about your injuries," Mordin noted and Jane smirked at that. “Will give you minor painkiller back on Normandy however. Biotics are slightly over stressed. Recommend practice before attempting maneuver again.”

 

            "No, not that kind of injury," Jane sighed and looked out the window.

 

            "He was your first huh?" Kasumi said casually and Jane stared at her in shock. "Oh ho, so I was right! Who would think you would wait that long to pop your cherry, She-Shep."

 

            "Kasumi, please stop, I'm going to be getting quite the yelling at back on the Normandy, give me a few moments peace," Jane sighed.

 

            "Still, good thinking using grenade belt on creature. Commander Shepard looked jealous. If he wished to blow it up, he should have brought his own grenades as you did," Mordin pondered.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane had barely made it back to her room before John was there, knocking on the door. Jane let him in and was surprised when John tossed a big bone to Blasto. What followed was a John rant covering everything from her not coming up with a plan to attack the praetorian to that ‘son-of-a-bitch’ Alenko. When John began to yet again threaten Kaidan’s life Jane decided she needed to derail him.

 

            "Kaidan didn't do anything wrong, John," Jane sighed.

 

            "The _hell_ he didn't, I was gone and when you needed him the most he ghosted," John snapped as he paced in her room. Blasto watched him go, chewing happily on the bone. "I never liked that guy. He was Anderson’s pick for my squad after he rejected you as my biotic support."

 

            "We are not having this discussion right now," Jane said.

 

            "Then how about the discussion about what the fuck happened with that praetorian and you doing biotic rushes," John snapped.

 

            "The what now?" Jane sighed as she sat on her hammock.

 

            "The creature you blew up," John said.

 

            "The best Mordin could say is that because I know the theory and I was hyped up on adrenaline, I was able to do something I really shouldn't have been able to," Jane explained and John stared at her.

 

            "So...like a mother lifting a car off her child?" he asked and Jane swung her legs into the hammock.

 

            "Yeah," Jane nodded and John noticed the dark bags under Jane's eyes.

 

            "Why did you do it?" he asked. "Ash and Kaidan were fine. You were right, they got hit running for the transmitter." She stared at him with tired eyes and rubbed at them before speaking again.

 

            "I wasn't thinking about Ash at the end, I was just so scared. I still love him. Even if he won't look at me for more than a moment...I still love him, John, I couldn't stand to lose him too. Not when I put him in that danger," she muttered, her eyes slowly drifting closed. "I couldn't bear it..." John blinked as Jane seemed to pass out into her hammock.

 

            "Don't you dare touch her," Dr. Chakwas said from the door and John jumped. "Those sedatives took forever to kick in. I was worried she was going to pass out in the shower when you were standing out there. Adrenaline is a hell of a hormone."

 

            "You sedated her?" John asked and Dr. Chakwas nodded.

 

            "Spectre Shepard has put herself under a lot of stress, the drug cocktail I gave her will help take that down a bit. She will probably sleep longer than usual tonight into tomorrow and when she wakes up will feel back to herself," she said, taking Jane's pulse. "She has been pushing herself twice as hard as anyone I know. It's time she let you take some of the pressure off."

 

            "She's been working so hard to make up for me not being here," John said, staring at his unconscious sister.

 

            "Yes, but she is still doing it, until she accepts that you are John Shepard, I fear she will work herself to death. I'm glad she is here. Tali, Garrus, Joker, and myself, we missed her. It will be good to remind her, she doesn't have to prove herself to us," Dr. Chakwas said with a smile. She tossed a blanket over Jane. "Let's let her sleep."

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 12th, 2186 CE

Location: Omega

 

            “So what’s on the shopping list?” Jane asked curiously. John shot her a look as he led them to Omega’s market. Shortly before they had headed for the airlock Kelly had tracked John down to remind him that he had a huge backlog of messages to go through. Jane was amused to see John was getting irritated with all the spam he was getting on his Cerberus provided e-mail. Submitting his Cerberus e-mail address to all those questionable websites had been a bit of petty yet fun revenge. EDI was also voicing complaints with all the malware and other things she was stopping due to it. Totally worth it, despite John's growing irritation.

 

            “Grenades.” He said tersely. He made his way to Harrot and glanced at the kiosk. Jane just raised an eyebrow at John as he selected a long list of items on the kiosk and then slammed a credit chit on the counter. “Grenades. _All_ the grenades.”

 

            “Smug satisfaction: One moment while I have my assistant get your docking information to have the grenades loaded onto a pallet for delivery,” Harrot said, turning to an Asari standing not to far away with a datapad.

 

            “What’s that all about?” Jane heard Garrus whisper to Tali who sighed.

 

            “Apparently Miranda won’t outfit the team with grenades. She prefers heavy weapons, I guess.” Tali replied back. Jane rolled her eyes as John finished giving Harrot the Normandy’s dock number but he took half a dozen grenades with him. Garrus just chuckled in amusement as John sighed in relief as he finished strapping them to his belt. As they headed for another shop to pick up the rest of the supplies they needed Jane shot John an amused look.

 

            “I used up mine on Horizon, mind letting me resupply out of yours?” Jane asked in a fake, sweet tone.

 

            “What are we ten again? Buy your own shit.”

 

~*TF*~

 

            "We should stop by and see Aria," Jane said a few hours later as they left the markets and John blinked. He handed the datapad to the crewman who had joined them a bit ago. The crewman, Jane would be damned if she could remember his name, saluted and pulled the lever on the hover pallet to take the supplies back to the Normandy.

 

            "You’re friendly with the Queen of Omega?" John asked as they walked up the stairs into Afterlife.

 

            "Yeah, I've found that being good to her is useful," Jane explained. "Besides, I found this in the storage hold." She held up a datapad.

 

            "I got that from the mercs when we got Garrus," John said. “I’d forgotten all about it.”

 

            "The data on it is still relevant, she’ll want to know, and she's pretty generous when you help her out," Jane said as she stopped at the turian at the base of the stairs.

 

            "Good to see you...Jane," he purred in a way John didn't like.

 

            "Same to you, Grizz, she got a minute, I got some info she will want," Jane said and Grizz activated his comms. He quickly informed the other person that the Shepards were there. He listened for a moment before nodding to the stairs.

 

            "She'll talk to you," Grizz said and they headed up. Aria looked at the Shepards as they approached. Jane went to sit near Aria and John slipped next to her.

 

            "Good to see you, Shepard. You as well, less attractive Shepard," Aria said, looking at Jane first, then John. "What have you got for me."

 

            "Been a while since we were on Omega, thought I would drop off a piece of intel collected from Eclipse. Looks like Archangel's last gift to you was us taking out the main forces. This data pad was one of the mercs going after Archangel. They were coming for you next," Jane said handing Aria the datapad.

 

            "Let me see," Aria said taking it. She took a moment to read, her expression becoming less and less friendly. "Interesting. Would someone like to tell me how this information slipped the net?" Throwing the pad at a batarian.

 

            "I...I'll look into it," he stammered before rushing off.

 

            "Thanks, Shepard, you should come back and work for me again," Aria said, looking at Jane. The three heads of her team turned to look at her. Jane fought a glare at Aria.

 

            "No thanks, I got my fill of working for tips. Not my style," Jane replied as she got up.

 

            "Talk to Grizz, there's something else you could do that I would truly appreciate," Aria said.

 

            "I'm not on my time right now," Jane said looking to John and Aria smirked.

 

            "Both of you could handle it easily, talk to Grizz," she said and Jane indicated John should go first.

 

            "What was that?" John asked.

 

            "A sign of favor. If Aria has asked us to do something, we should do it. Trust me, having her on our side will make things much easier," Jane said and John shrugged.

 

            "If you say so," John said as they approached Grizz. "What's this job Aria wants us to do?"

 

            "Aria's gotten word that some Blood Pack mercs plan to kill an old acquaintance of hers. A krogan named Patriarch. She'd like you to keep that from happening," Grizz explained.

 

            "What's the Blood Pack's problem with Patriarch?" Jane asked. The old krogan had been a rather fun old man by her memory. The Maws had visited him a few times and Jane had waited on them in private.

 

            "If you've met Patriarch, you know...he can't keep his damned mouth shut," Grizz explained. "Some people don't appreciate his stories. Especially when he dips into nonfiction."

 

            "What's Aria's interest in protecting him?" John asked, Jane was curious too, Patriarch had lived well, but seemed to always be in Afterlife.

 

            "Patriarch was one of her deadliest enemies back in the old days. Now she keeps what's left of him around as a trophy. As long as he lives, he's a perfect example of what happens when you go up against Aria," Grizz said.

 

            "Why come to us with this? Aria has plenty of muscle for this," Garrus stated and Grizz stared at him a moment before shaking his head.

 

            "Because Aria said so. What other reason do you need?" Grizz brushed off, but Jane stared at him a moment.

 

            "Don't bother with me, Grizz, we both know Aria doesn't do things without a damn good reason," Jane sighed and Grizz chuckled.

 

            "Fine, but I didn't tell you this. Got me?" Grizz conceded. "If it gets out that Aria's protecting Patriarch...well, that can look like a weakness. And some people might want to exploit that. You're not on her payroll, so you helping Patriarch just seems like a random act of kindness."

 

            "We'll do it," Jane said and John blinked. As they walked away she looked at him. "Trust me, Patriarch is a fun old krogan. I rather keep him safe. For me." John looked at her and sighed.

 

            "Fine," John said as they headed downstairs. He purposely ignored the crowd around him and the patrons as they headed into the lower portion of Afterlife. Jane seemed to know where they were going and led the way into what looked like a smaller but quieter VIP longue. An old krogan appeared to be lecturing an asari and turian in the room. John had to raise an eyebrow at what he was saying however.

 

“…no, you said he had close family. They'll just want revenge. Kill the family first. Then he'll get angry and come at you stupid...and then you kill him.” Patriarch rumbled. He sniffed and turned around as John came closer to introduce himself. “I don't think I know you, human. I'm the Patriarch. Aria's Patriarch.” He focused on Jane and barrowed his eyes. “Although you remind me of a dancer who was here not long ago...”

 

“I get that a lot.” Jane demurred and John heard Garrus chuckle behind him.

 

“What do you all want?” Patriarch demanded.

 

“Rumor has it some people want you dead. Know anything about that?” John asked, crossing his arms. He had to admit, this Patriarch had him curious. A krogan didn’t get to be his age without being damned good and damn clever.

 

“I can think of a few.” Patriarch drawled, a bit smugly. “I know things. Old secrets. Old grudges. A few floors you can dig up to find bodies underneath. Someone who wanted to weaken Aria might come after me. They'd do it to get to her, you see. Not for me. I don't matter enough anymore to have enemies of my own.”

 

“Well some of those people want you dead. We've been asked to move you to safety.” Jane piped up next to him.

 

“Of course. Aria wouldn't want me hurt. I would make her look weak.” Patriarch said and John could practically feel the sarcasm dripping from that statement. Patriarch Turned to face the two he had been lecturing and shook his head, as if the whole situation was proving a point of his. He turned back to them and focused on John. “But perhaps Aria's reputation is no longer my concern. Perhaps I will stay and see who thinks me important enough to kill.”

 

“Here's an idea: Let us handle the assassins for you.” John offered impulsively, fighting a smile. Damn it, for some reason he couldn’t help but like this old, tough as nails warlord.

 

“And so your name grows while I remain an old man who lets other fight his battle.” Patriarch countered.

 

“No, you remain a powerful warlord with forces at his command. Not just Aria's trophy.” Jane jumped in. John shot a look at Jane, wondering why she phrased it like that but it seemed to resonate with Patriarch.

 

“You could...you could be my krantt.” Patriarch said softly. John was surprised by the hopeful tone he had. “Fighting for my honor. If you would do this for me, I would be grateful. I might even be a krogan again.”

 

            “Then that’s what we’ll do.” John said. Patriarch nodded at him and gestured for them to leave. John motioned to the others to follow him. He wanted to ask Jane what she was up to but didn’t even get the chance. As soon as they hit the back alley behind Afterlife they almost ran into a pair of heavily armed krogans.

 

“Out of our way, human.” One with a flame thrower snarled, gesturing at him with his weapon.

 

“You here for Patriarch?” John said, stating the obvious. It seemed to catch them off guard.

 

“What if we are? You donna do something about it?” the talker snarled.

 

“Patriarch sent us.” Jane said sweetly and John smiled.

 

“Said to do whatever it takes.” He jumped in, cracking his knuckles.

 

“You're Patriarch's krantt? I wasn't aware the old man had one!” the other krogan barked.

 

“You should've done your homework.” John snarked and ducked as the lead korgan whipped up his flame thrower. John kicked him in the gut, sending him reeling back. Jane and Tali both shot their pistols past John, putting both men down quickly.

 

            The group headed back to Patriarch's room.

           

            "You killed them all! And everyone knows that the Patriarch is not to be crossed," the old krogan chuckled merrily. "Thanks to you, Aria may think of me as more than a trophy. A real advisor, maybe. Or even a threat." Jane smiled kindly at the old guy.

 

            "Take care, Patriarch," Jane said and he nodded.

 

            "For the first time, I like that name," he said before giving them a serious look. "By the way, be careful with Aria. She will approve of what you've done, I think, but not of you altering the balance of Omega. I think it reminds her too much of herself."

 

            "Aria doesn't have to worry about us, we're just here for business and recreation, not to stay," Jane said, giving Garrus a look. They moved out and headed up a level to Grizz who did not look as happy.

 

            "Aria wants to speak with you, humans. She heard you took on the Blood Pack assassins yourselves. I wouldn't keep her waiting," he warned. Jane sighed.

 

            "We pissed her off, didn't we?" John commented and Jane nodded. They took their previous seats and Aria gave Jane a look.

 

            "Word has it that Patriarch's krantt took out the men sent here to kill him. Funny, I didn't know he had a krantt," Aria said in a clipped tone.  

 

            "Patriarch has more influence than you thought," John commented and her eyes narrowed at him.

 

            "I see. Well. Maybe I should watch my back then. It's not what I asked, but you go the job done. You've done a lot for me, Shepard, let me return the favor. We're sending you coordinates to a cache on an uncharted world. You want it, it's yours," Aria said nodding at one of her goons.   

 

            "We're not looking for payments," Jane said.  

 

            "Whatever you find is yours to deal with," Aria said and Jane smiled.

 

            "Thanks," Jane said as she got up.  

 

            "Why don't you find yourself a nice man to keep you warm in the meantime? You look like you need to loosen up a little," Aria commented and Jane shook her head before walking out.  

 

            The group headed downstairs to the bar outside Patriarch's room.

 

            "Thanks," Jane said and John stared at her.

 

            "Were you the dancer Patriarch was thinking of?" John asked and Jane blinked at him.

 

            "You've seen me dance, do you think I could pass as an exotic dancer?" Jane asked and John stared.

           

            "I have and no," Garrus stated as they walked over to the bar.

 

            "I'm buying," Jane said.

 

            "Seriously?" John asked and she nodded.

 

            "Thank you. Patriarch was a ruler brought down. Ideally, I'd like him to die of old age. Aria and what we've done will allow that," Jane said as she flagged the batarian bartender. "Two dextro, two levo please." She passed two drinks to Tali and Garrus before grabbing the other two, John took his and they clinked glasses. Bad luck was on Jane’s side as she didn’t expect John to hit it quite that hard. Jane's glass slipped out of her hand and crashed to the floor. "Shit, I'll get another, drink." John looked surprised for a moment, staring at his hand before sighing. With a shrug he knocked back his drink as Jane flagged the bartender again. She was picking up the glass when John felt his vision fade and he fell back. Jane stared in shock as her brother crashed to the ground.

 

            "You better get your friend out of here, he seems to be a lightweight. That door is to the alley," the batarian chuckled as he jerked a thumb past them and Jane quickly helped Tali and Garrus carry John out. Tali fanned John while Garrus looked over them. Jane was scanning him as another man came over to them looking concerned.

 

            "Did you have the batarian bartender serve you drinks?" he asked and Jane stared at him.

 

            "How did you know?" she asked and the man gave her sorrowful look.

 

            "I'm sorry your friend is going to die," he said. "That bartender has been poisoning humans."

 

            "Aria allows that?" Jane gasped.

 

            "He works at the bottom bar, she doesn't care about those people. She gets money from the upper floors and the VIP room," the man said and Jane glared at him as John's eyes opened up. He rolled over to his side and coughed wetly. Jane felt relief flood her veins as John vomited up the contents of his stomach.

 

            "Take him to the Normandy, wait," Jane said as she quickly pulled off her armor, leaving her barefoot in her bra and bike shorts. "Take my armor."

 

            "Shepard...what are you doing?" Tali asked as she collected the armor.

 

            "I'm going to make sure that guy is taken care of," Jane said, tying up her hair.

 

            "How?" Garrus asked.

 

            "Less talky, more getting him to infirmary," Jane ordered and the two sighed. Jane walked to Harrot's where she bought some make-up, a pair of shoes, and a jacket. With her bra and shorts she looked like she was ready to drink and with the make-up she looked just different enough a batarian might not recognize her. She headed back into Afterlife and down the stairs. She sat down at the bar and did her best to look depressed.

 

            "What can I get you?" the batarian asked. He didn't recognize her...good.

 

            "Can you believe it...he cheated on me," she huffed. "I just...I want to drink till I forget my name!" She looked at him. He sneered.

 

            "What will you have?" he growled and Jane looked at him.

 

            "I need a toast," she said and he smirked.

 

            "I'll get you something," he said, pouring another glass of whatever John and she had earlier. She recognized it by the color. "Drink up."

 

            "Join me?" Jane asked, the batarian looked annoyed. "I'll pay." He smirked more as he made a glass of what looked like he made her. She noticed he used different bottles to make his. He finished and Jane pointed behind him. "That guy is going for a bottle!" The batarian whipped around as Jane quickly switched the glasses.

 

            "Which one?" the batarian asked and Jane pointed at a turian moving away.

 

            "He heard me and moved away," Jane sighed and the batarian sneered.

 

            "Slow human," he huffed as Jane picked up the safe glass. He clinked his to hers and she brought it up to her mouth. She still didn't trust it as he drained his glass. She put her still full one down and wiped her mouth. He stared at her and the glass. His eyes widened as she got up and he began to stagger, clutching at his throat before he collapsed. She turned and headed back to the Normandy.

 

~*TF*~

 

“Better out than in, Shepard,” Miranda advised as John retched. He shot her a withering look before turning back to the bucket she’d placed in his lap. He vomited again and winced. “I’m certain the enhancements to your stomach lining rejected most of the poison but the ipecac I gave you should force you to regurgitate anything you didn’t get out on Omega.”

 

            “I feel like you’re punishing John for something,” Jane said sweetly, walking into the infirmary. John moaned and barely glanced at Jane, noting her current outfit.

 

            “What happened to-hurk!” John was cut off by his own stomach. Jane wrinkled her nose in disgust as he vomited again.

 

            “I dealt with the batarian bartender who poisoned you. Apparently he had a history of it,” Jane said tersely. “I tricked him into drinking his own poison.”

 

            “Not bad Jane,” Miranda allowed checking John’s vitals on a data pad. Jane shot Miranda look, questioning her sincerity. Miranda ignored her as she checked John over.

 

            “I checked my messages shortly after I got back. Apparently they located the wreckage of the original Normandy. They even shipped a memorial to us via Omega to plant there. “ Jane explained to her brother. John looked at her, his face flushed and a woozy look on his face.

 

            “If nothing major has come up we can head there after we’re done loading the supplies,” John said in a strained tone of voice.

 

            “I’d like it just to be the two of us.” Jane said. John looked at her before nodding.

 

            “I should be fine by the time we get th-blarg!”

 

            “Or at least not doing that anymore.”

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 13th, 2186 CE

Location: In transit to Amada System

 

            Jane entered the forward battery and Garrus turned to look at her.

 

            "What are you up to?" Jane asked and Garrus shrugged.

 

            "You know, the usual, calibrations," he hummed and Jane shook her head as she moved to sit on the crates in the corner. "It was...strange...seeing Kaidan."

 

            "Tell me about it," Jane sighed.

 

            "How are you doing?" Garrus asked and Jane blinked. He hadn't moved from the panel and he wasn't looking at her.

 

            "I could just talk to Kasumi or Tali about this," Jane suggested.

 

            "Tali wasn't there for you dressing up for that Officers' Ball and Kasumi doesn't know Kaidan," Garrus said. "Plus I thought Jack was your new best girlfriend."

 

            "Jack would kick my ass if I wanted to mope about my ex-boyfriend to her," Jane said. "Plus I believe you said you couldn't tell if I looked good or not at that ball." Garrus chuckled.

 

            "You humans are all pretty ugly," he stated and Jane smiled. "Especially Kaidan."

 

            "Nope, not doing this, unless you start complaining about your last girlfriend and we have alcohol, I appreciate the effort, but it just feels wrong," Jane said as she looked at the turian. "But thanks for trying Garrus."

 

            "Always glad to help. You look even more hideous when you cry," Garrus commented and Jane smiled.

 

            "Thanks, you always know what to say to make a woman feel good about herself," she said before pausing. Jane turned and looked at Garrus' back. She approached and hugged him from behind.

 

            "Shepard..." he stammered.

 

            "If I'm so ugly when I cry, don't you ever dare make me cry again. When you went missing, I lost it. Getting you back and nearly losing you in the same day on Omega...Haestrom and my stupid, stupid mistake. Stop living like there's nothing beyond the mission," she scolded. He patted her arm.

 

            "Same to you. That Collector could have crushed your trachea with that move. Mordin was surprised it didn't," Garrus scolded and Jane pulled away.

 

            "I'll work on that," Jane said as she headed out.

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 13th, 2186 CE

Location: Planet Alchera

 

            This felt surreal to John. He watched out the shuttle’s window as Harrison landed. The Normandy, the first Normandy, was scattered along the edge of an ice shelf. Every piece of wreckage was a stark, jagged sign to John. It had actually happened. The Normandy had been attacked and he had… John shook himself as the shuttle finished landing. He walked to the exit, Jane already ahead of him as the doors opened. They exited slowly, Jane stared at the wreckage, pieces of the ship were scattered in a way that looked like a broken toy.

 

            _"It looks untouched,"_ John said, softly. Jane glanced at him but he’d turned his visor opaque.

 

            "We didn't know she was here," Jane explained as she saw something in the snow. She leaned down. A dog tag. Twenty crew members were unaccounted for and had been declared missing-in-action. She held it up and John stared. "There should be nineteen more." She walked through the snow, the planet seemed so quiet as the two looked around, kicking up snow. Here and there they would find a dog tag. They approached the cockpit, each of them quietly moving off.

 

_“Oh Pressly, I knew you were a good man,”_ Jane heard John mutter. Jane stared at John. He seemed to be thinking, his head cocked to the side as he stared at Pressly's tags held in one hand with a datapad. She was surprised to see a glow coming from the screen. It was actually still functional. She thought about Joker as John handed the data pad her. She felt relieved that she would see Joker again on the new Normandy.

 

_“You should read that,”_ John grunted at her as he moved off. It was Pressly's personal log. She stared at it, the words sinking in as she read the man’s words. The closed-minded xenophobe at the beginning and the man he became. He adored Tali by the end. She felt tears in her eyes. Would anything have been different if she had been there?

 

_“I was here,”_ John said, softly. Jane looked up and saw something between his hands. As she made her way to him, she tucked Pressly’s data pad into her belt. When she got close enough to see what John was holding she sucked in a breath.

 

            _“That was your old helmet,”_ Jane noted, recognizing it easily, especially with the scratches she’d put on the back just to annoy him. John nodded, running a hand over it thoughtfully.

 

            _“I wonder who found me,”_ John said to her as they made their way towards the remains of the galaxy map. _“Someone had to purposely take my helmet off and leave it behind.”_ Jane shrugged, watching as John clipped the helmet to his belt, the collapsing function must have been broken if he didn’t trigger it to tuck into a belt pouch.

 

            _"So, you confirmed that twenty didn't make it?"_ John asked and Jane nodded as she picked up another dog tag near the remains of the galaxy map. John shook his head. He knew it could have been worse but they still weighed heavily on him. He barely noticed Jane leading them to the Mako till they got there, so deep was he in his own thoughts about what he could have done differently during that chaotic evacuation.

 

            _"Think we should try and salvage the old girl?"_ Jane asked as she ran a hand over the Mako.

 

            _"Garrus needs a project, he just keeps calibrating,"_ John noted and Jane couldn’t help smiling a bit.

 

            _"Maybe we shouldn't, Tali might cry seeing her again,"_ Jane said picking up another set of tags while John seemed to have found one in the snow. The snow fell gently, making the area seem like a dream. Jane felt a sense of peace as she looked at the remains of the ship. It was so peaceful in this blue and white world.

 

            _"On the plus side we don't have to share a room now,"_ John commented as he looked at the sleeper pods, picking up another set.

 

            _"Still mad I kicked Miranda out?"_ Jane asked.

 

            _"Yes,"_ he said before sighing. _"But only how you did it. You should have just told me you needed a place to yourself and a secure data connection."_ They slowly made it to the crew deck and Jane thought about Kaidan. The stolen moments between missions, that first kiss. The Normandy was their start, it made her heart ache. Kaidan was her first real love, the first man she had ever known cardinally, and her first real heartbreak. She shook her head, Kaidan wanted nothing to do with her. She counted eleven dog tags.

           

            _"How many tags do you have?"_ Jane asked and John glanced at her before punching a crate. He pushed the pieces aside and picked up another set of tags.

 

            _"Nine,"_ he said and Jane nodded.

 

            _"We found them all,"_ she said and John stared at her for a moment before glancing around.

 

            _"Where should we put the memorial?"_ he asked and she looked at the side of the Normandy, its name right side up as if to declare this plot its own.

 

            _"This seems fitting,"_ Jane said and John looked at it.

 

            _“Yes, their names with hers. So no one forgets,”_ John said. The two of them went to the shuttle and carried the memorial out using a zero-gravity cart. They placed it down and shifted around a bit before stepping back to look at it.

 

            _"Thank you for coming here,"_ Jane said after a few minutes and John went to put an arm around her. Jane shook her head and stepped away _. "Not yet..."_ She headed into the shuttle ahead of John.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Commander?" John looked up as Kelly called to him from her terminal. "There's a call coming in for you. It's on a secure channel and they want to speak with you privately." John frowned, wondering who it could be.  
  
            "Transfer it to my quarters, would you Kelly?" John asked and headed for the elevator. As soon as he got in he accepted the call on his terminal. He blinked in surprise when the empty model display lit up with the call. It's was a salarian, about late middle aged for their species if John figured right. He had a more yellowy-orange face with white from under his cheeks to his neck. He had dark green eyes and some of the natural markings on his forehead were an orangey-red and looked similar to asari markings,

             "Greetings, Spectre John Shepard, I am Spectre Chirum Leolor," the salarian said with a brief smile. "I am a...well...I know I consider myself indebted to your sister, but she has referred to me as a friend. I am contacting you because I am concerned for Jane." John blinked at that and instantly connected the name to some of the files on Jane he had been able to access.

 

            "I've heard of you Spectre Leolor," John said and nodded his head to the man respectfully. "You were involved with that incident with Dirake." Chirum nodded, his eyes narrowing. 

 

            "Yes...that incident...how much do you know about what happened then?" Chirum asked.

  
            "Not as much as I like," John admitted. "I know what I saw of Jane's fight with Dirake from the vids on the extranet." John scowled at that. "The Spectre records on it have been deemed classified by another Spectre. They even redacted their own name. The only names not redacted are the ones Dirake revealed." Chirum nodded. 

 

            "My clan's dalatrass at work. My daughters and nieces were taken and brutalized. I cannot thank your sister enough for what she did for me, my clan, and the young women of my clan. However, she was too late to save another of our team. The turian, Aelaxos, your sister took a shine to him. They bonded on the ship out and in the field. You humans do tend to get along with turians," he chuckled dryly before sighing. "I sometimes wonder what would have happened if you all had met in peace instead of through the First Contact War...but I digress. Jane nearly died saving me and mine. Tela and I made sure to keep her alive, however, after Jane woke up...she was different."

  
            "How so?" John inquired, curious as to why this man was calling him. Chirum interlocked his fingers and leaned at the desk he was probably sitting at. 

 

            "She stopped working on teams, unless a Spectre asked for her directly, she began avoiding others, picking solo missions. I wanted to pay her back, so I have been keeping tabs on her. Mordin Solus is an associate of mine from back in our STG days. He's told me about your last two missions when I asked how she was," Chirum stated, blinking slowly in the way of a thoughtful salarian. "Jane impressed many of us in battle, but if what Mordin told me is true I deeply worry about how much longer your sister will be alive. I want to ask you, because  I believe Mordin when he says you are who you are, what is your plan for her?"

  
            "I don't have one to be honest," John replied truthfully. "From the moment Cerberus woke me up and I learned who they were I tried to get back. To go home as it were." John scratched the side of his cheek and looked a little bashful at what he said next. "It didn't work out the way I had hoped. I didn't think Jane would distrust who I was. I've just finally realized how much time really has gone by while I was...incapacitated." Chirum nodded. 

 

            "For humans two years seems a lot shorter than to my people. However, I do believe that time passes Jane both quickly and slowly," Chirum stated. "She mourned you deeply, as if each day were just after your loss, and I believe she tried to do the work of two Shepards alone, filling all her time with meaningful missions. However, I worry after what I have heard. The mistakes she has made are...unlike her. I ask you to use your position as the Captain of the Normandy to make her slow down. I am fond of your sister, she is a good woman, a fine Spectre, but a broken person."  

 

            John was quiet, considering. He didn't think Jane was broken but he did feel she was hurt. Deeply and badly. Kaidan had walked out on her and that still made John angry. She had no one to cling to, no one to confide in while John was gone. She'd thrown herself into her work and worked herself to the bone, almost dying in the process.  
  
            "I'll do the best I can but it might help if she had a friend call or write her on occasion," John said and Chirum smiled.

 

            "Of course, but she needs to be the one to make the calls. For my part, I will always answer when she needs me.  Another suggestion, encourage bonding. I have notice Jane bonds deeply and quickly under the right circumstance. Encourage that, she taught Aelaxos a game called Poke Her, some form of gambling. As I tell my daughters, games are a waste of time, but Aelaxos enjoyed himself and Jane favored him for that, I think," Chirum said. "If she won't bond on her own, get others to start the bonding with her." 

 

            "I think that's already started," John said, thinking of Jack and Garrus. Even Grunt who Jane was training on how to react to real biotic attacks. "Thank you Spectre Leolor." The salarian held up a hand.

 

            "No thanks necessary, Spectre Shepard," Chirum said. "I believe you are the only one who can start to repair what has been damage. The loss of you was devastating. Perhaps she should speak to someone about that. Good luck getting her to do so." The screen cut out.

 

John turned off the display and walked to the center of the room, thinking. So, it was on him again. He had to stand tall and bear the weight again. He glanced over at his old helmet, sitting on the table by the coffee machine. He stepped over and picked it up between his hands, studying it. He'd already given his life for the mission before. Now Chirum had confirmed just how much that had damaged Jane and he had to be the one to fix her. John thought of his nightmare from a couple of weeks back and realized it was true. He had failed Jane. He tossed the helmet on the desk and turned, heading for the bed and sat at its edge. He looked up at the skylight that showed the flickers of energy passing over the ship as it traveled in FTL. As he stared up at the stars he felt alone. He was surrounded by enemies everywhere and barely had anyone he could trust and turn to. Garrus was helping Jane and while it was nice to spend time and talk to him the Turian had been behaving awkwardly around him. John knew what he wanted to ask but he wouldn't say anything till Garrus worked up the courage to ask John's permission. John snorted at that thought. As if Garrus would be unworthy, especially everything he had done for Jane. Having Tali around was great but she seemed to have gone from naive girl making her way in the world to a strong, confident woman since he'd been gone. What seemed to be a harmless crush on him had the chance to become more, he could see that now. She was an intelligent, caring but brave woman. He smiled to himself as he thought of the women he’d been with in the past. He definitely had a type. If he started confiding in Tali however he might give her the wrong impression or worse he might...

 

John shook his head and fell back on the bed, pushing that tempting thought away. Miranda, despite their talks and the forming friendship, was permanently on a hate setting for Jane. John mentally ran through the others and realized he couldn't really talk to the them about Jane and everything else. Even Kelly, who was on the ship for this very purpose, worked for Cerberus. Any reports she filed on their talks would almost certainly make their way to the Illusive Man. He sighed trying to put everything in order in his mind and focused on the dossier info he remembered. The justicar Samara and the assassin Thane Krios were both on Ilium. It would be a good place to go and maybe pick up supplies Omega didn't have. In fact, Illium would be a good port to establish the Normandy from and - John jolted and sat up quickly in bed.

 

Liara. She was on Illium. He hurried over to his terminal and finally checked his backlog of messages. There, only a day ago was the one he'd been desperately hoping to get.

 

_John,_

_I'm sorry I've been off world chasing a lead and this extranet account is tied to my terminal in my office. But to answer your question I will always help you. Come to Illium, Nos Astra. I maintain an office there and I can arrange for a dock, even a dry dock if needed._

_I've missed you John. We have alot to talk about._

_~Liara_

 

John closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. Liara could help. She _would_ help him. He smiled as treasured memories came to him.

 

            _“This, oh-oh my God Liara this is in-incredible.”_

_“Here with me, feel what I feel. Our minds, our souls entwining as we do with our bodies. Here with you, I feel what you feel.”_

 

_"I love you, Liara T'Soni."_

_"I love you, John Shepard."_

 

Memories of eternity.

 

"EDI inform Joker, we're heading straight for Illium."

 

~*TF*~

 

OMAKE 1

 

              Augmented blue eyes looked at Jane, no emotion on his face, she gave him the same back.

 

            "Jane Shepard. A pleasure to meet you," he said and Jane tilted her head. "We underestimated you. We should have invited you in from the beginning."

 

            "Fuck you," Jane said as she turned walking away. "Shepard out!"

 

OMAKE 2

 

**"I am assuming direct control,"** an inhuman voice called and the Collector's eyes glowed. It looked as if it was on fire. **"Direct intervention is necessary."**

 

            "Oh that’s bullshit!" Jane cried. “Did it just go Super Saiyan?!”

 

            “Okay so before we take this thing out we need a plan. And here it is.” John snarled. “All of you will attack from the front and while you’re being slaughtered, I’ll flank him. Taking him from behind and securing the kill.”

 

            “Seriously John?”

 

            “Well I’m sorry! My hands are getting tired from writing out all these different points of view!”

 

Belle: Toby!

 

Toby: What? They are! I have broken fingers!

 

OMAKE 3

 

            "Waaaaaaah! Why won't he love me?" Jane sobbed as she hugged Jack.

 

            "So...how long has this gone on?" John asked.

 

            "She caught me in a barrier right after breakfast," Jack growled as Jane hugged the biotic. "I will destroy her, Shepard."

 

            "Kaiiiiidaaaaaaan....whyyyyyyyyyyy...." Jane sobbed.

 

            "That guy on Horizon..." John began.

 

            "I know! I have had to listen to this for five fucking hours, Shepard, how the fuck is this barrier still going?!" Jack screamed.

 

            "Fascinating," Mordin muttered from behind the two. "Cortisol levels seem to be allowing maintenance of boitic power. An after effect of adrenaline spike on Horizon? Possible."

 

            "So this will end?" John said and Mordin nodded.

 

            "In a few more hours," he said.

           

            "NOOOOOO!" Jack screamed as Jane continued to weep onto her shoulder.

 

OMAKE 4

 

            Jane entered the forward battery and Garrus turned to look at her.

 

            "What are you up to?" Jane asked and Garrus shrugged.

 

            "You know, the usual, calibrations," he hummed and Jane shook her head as she moved to sit on the crates in the corner. "It was...strange...seeing Kaidan."

 

            "Tell me about it," Jane sighed.

 

            "How are you doing?" Garrus asked and Jane blinked. He hadn't moved from the panel and he wasn't looking at her.

 

            "I could just talk to Kasumi or Tali about this," Jane suggested before Garrus moved in front of her, pressing his body between her legs.

 

            "Kasumi and Tali won't make you forget about Kaidan like I can," he purred. "You know what they say, once you try turian, you never go human again."

 

            "Take me you virile turian stud muffin!" Jane exclaiGFUJK%DFFKJGYI$BHJK

 

Belle: Ow!

 

Toby: If I can't smut, you can't smut!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Belle Note: So Shakarians, cheering over the defeat of the Shenko fandom? Are you sure that's what is happening? Maybe Garrus will patch up the hole in our fair Jane's heart, or...maybe Kaidan is realizing the report of John's death has been greatly exaggerated and he must act before he loses the lady fair. Oh, I do love teasing the fandoms. FYI, in game I enjoy both their paths, I have had a Shepard stay loyal to Kaidan through ME2 and I have had one go turian and not go back again. While I find Thane sweet as can be, I'm always a little off put that he has an adult kid, how old are you Thane?! My greatest disappointment was when I couldn't make James Vega a man. *sighs* Too bad on that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 
> 
> Toby Note: Okay I now know the reason you were able to write this out within the week since we published 15 and sent 16 to me. *turns to the readers* Please, please, please stop sending her Vakarian love. She just wants to get to the sleeping with him chapter so she can write it in all the smutty details. *rolls his eyes* I should have known…and stop whining about Vega! You got to sleep with him when he had horns! He was literally horny for you! You think Bioware didn’t do that on purpose? It was to distract you from Varic and the paragon on manliness you call him all the time! So, the delay was from me being tired and then breaking fingers. Seriously I broke my middle finger in three places.
> 
> Belle Note 2: Don't stop sending me love, it makes it so I keep trying my best!


	18. Strength from Belief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Illusive Man has a tip on the location of a damaged Collector vessel. The Shepards must infiltrate and collect data on the Collectors. This brings up conflict between John and Jane. Next stop Illium and the reunion between two lovers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Automatic Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the Mass Effect or any other referenced copy righted material.
> 
> Toby's Note: Well my fingers are healed. Good thing too because we’re finally to a portion I’ve been dying to get to. Illium and all of its missions are some of my favorite parts of ME2. I love the recruitment and loyalty missions, the Shadow Broker DLC and even the conversations of the background characters that take place there. My only complaint is they really didn’t give Liara a lot of interaction, before the Shadow Broker DLC I mean. She was a love interest from ME1 and if you stayed loyal to her in ME2 all she says is “Shepard, it’s good to see you again.” in the most monotone ever. *shakes his head* Though they completely made up for it in the Shadow Broker DLC. I loved the memes that spawned, especially during the Take Back Mass Effect movement after ME3’s original ending. “Meanwhile at Bioware & EA Headquarters: Liara demands her little blue children!” Ha!
> 
> Though I have to admit, I figured Belle would be all over Thane. I was surprised when she told me he wasn’t that attractive to her. Though I never picked up on the fact that Drell were walking, talking acid trips to humans till she told me about it. I think that’s why you don’t see them that much in Mass Effect. They hide from humans who want to tackle them so they can take a trip. The sex must be great though. I still don’t get why Belle wouldn’t want that. I haven’t seen what female Drell look like so I can’t say I’d want to do that.
> 
> Are there Drell addicts? Humans that do it too often and go around like crack addicts begging a Drell for a lick?
> 
> Belle’s Note: Whoa! Whoa! I like Thane, I just think Garrus is the best LI from Mass Effect 2...and should have been an option in Mass Effect 1. Thane is a hottie and I do enjoy taking acid trips when I romance him...however...Thane has an adult son, an eidetic memory, a deceased wife, and, let us not forget, an incurable disease. Thane's fate always made each whispered "Siha" a heartbreaking reminder to me that Shepard was going to outlive him and it just sort of made me sad that they were living an inevitable May-September romance that would break Shepard's heart. I will outright admit that I go after Garrus or Kaidan because Thane is just so bittersweet, Jacob is just a douche, and Mass Effect 3 fucked over the straight girl romances. James Vegas' ass should have been mine for more than a one night stand. Did you see his pecs? I wanted him!!!! God damn Bioware and NO, just because Freddie Prince Jr voiced Iron Bull does NOT make me any less bitter I did not get to have my Latino Beefcake from Earth. Toby is under the impression that because the same voice actor played two of my favorite mountains of man that I should give up my irritation that James Vega was only a plaything for the Citadel DLC. I have not, nor will I. And another thing-!
> 
> Toby's Note: *shoots Belle in the right gluteal muscle. Watches her rant wind down as she paces back and forth before she passes out face first on the ground like a tranque’d lion on the Serengeti* Sorry about that folks. FYI she gets really worked up about Vega and Varric and not being able to romance them. So…try to avoid that in the future.

 

Chapter 17: Strength from Belief

 

Earth Date: February 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Mid-Transit

 

            “So, the Normandy’s defense systems haven’t change that much at all?” John said, surprised. He’d called this meeting the make sure there was anything pressing that they could address on Illium. To his surprise each member of the team had suggestions. Some, like Jack and Mordin, were requesting personal firearms or upgrades. Those were easy to approve and add to their shopping list. What surprised him were all the upgrades to the Normandy people wanted to make.

 

            “The Normandy SR2’s construction was actually started before the original was shot down,” Miranda explained. “The Normandy team, before I absorbed them to replace the Lazarus team, tried to incorporate the reverse engineered tech from Sovereign when they could but they were also trying to keep the same overall design from the SR1.”

 

            “The SR2 is much bigger than the SR1,” Jane said. Unlike veryone else who was standing around the conference table, she was leaning against a corner of the room with her arms crossed. “Why would the Illusive Man want the same armaments from the original?”

 

            “The Illusive Man’s only directive to the engineering team was my installation halfway through the build,” EDI chimed in. “Originally that room was to be a state of the art surgical bay.”

 

            “Still with the new Normandy’s drive core and frame the ship can handle much more than the SR2 has now,” Tali said, gesturing to holographic display in the middle of the table. “I can implement my multicore shield designs along with the upgraded guns Garrus wants to install.”

 

            “Thanix canons,” Garrus clarified. “They pack one hell of a punch with very little recoil and feedback. We’ll be able to fire more shots with them not to mention the added firepower.”

 

            “And you think we can pick up some heavy armor as well on Illium?” John asked, turning to Jacob who nodded.

 

            “There’s an Asari manufacturer based on Illium who can supply us. We can get it done faster if we purchase it on Illium itself.” Jacob clarified. John nodded and focused on the display. It all made sense but to implement all these changes, hell even _one_ of them meant they needed to dry dock the ship.

 

            “Can our budget handle this?” John asked after a moment, looking at Miranda. The Cerberus leader bit her lip and brushed some of her hair behind her ear as she thought it over.

 

            “We won’t have a problem with the credits for this but to get it done quickly most of the supplies and installation crews will insist on us providing the raw material. Platinum, iridium, eezo and others as needed. Since we don’t carry the raw materials they’ll ask for vouchers or mineral rights to be transferred to them so they’ll recoup any materials they use locally.” Miranda said after thinking it over for a minute. John scowled. Before being spaced he’d have access to all the mineral rights they could have needed but now despite being legally restored he didn’t have access to those funds anymore. Jane controlled it all and he doubted she’d be willing to front it for upgrading a Cerberus ship.

 

            "No need to even bother with transferring mineral rights," Jane stated and the group stared at her.

           

            "What do you mean?" Miranda asked as she gave Jane a serious look.

           

            "In the SR1 John and I had a habit of claiming mining properties. A habit most colonists learn to pick up," Jane explained as she began typing on her omni-tool before nodding. "Obviously it would be a hassle for a Spectre to try and control all of those rights."

 

            "You got a proxy company," John stated as he realized the truth. Controlling all those mining rights had already become an annoying chore the two of them were tossing back and forth before the destruction of the SR1, it must have been even more monstrous when he was gone for Jane. She nodded as she pressed something on her omni-tool and the holographic projector added a line of suppliers from Illium. Jane highlighted a name on the list.

 

            "I hired an ambitious volus start up company, Iroro, that hires mostly young colonist kids looking to get off world experience, they have all sorts of races working for them. Several of the mining rights turned out to be major veins that are still pumping out quite a bit of ore," Jane explained. "Illium is a booming market and Iroro has grown massively in the last year after opening a supply depot there. Because I am one of the major ore sources and one of the largest stockholders, I could easily ask for the raw materials through the Iroro Illium depot."      

 

            "That's pretty generous, Shepard," Tali stated and Jane shook her head.

 

            "I am here as a Council Spectre, this ship needs to be able to take down the Collectors, this makes it easier just using my authority to transfer the raw materials as a business owner than going through the official requisition requests or right transfers," Jane said.

 

            "How much are you worth?" Garrus asked and Jane gave him a look before smirking.

           

            "My mother raised me never to talk religion, politics, or finances in mixed company," Jane stated and he chuckled as her omni-tool indicated a message. "My contact through Iroro just replied to my message. As soon as we get to Illium we can dry dock and they will deliver the estimated materials."

 

            “Thank you Jane,” John said and Jane just tilted her head in acknowledgement as John focused on Miranda. “When we get to Illium make sure we get everything we can upgraded, we _get_ upgraded. I still think she should fly longer on her fuel. Look into it.”

 

            “I’ll start looking into it after the meeting, John,” Miranda assured him. John nodded and focused on the group at large.

 

            “Anything else anyone wants to mention?” John asked.

 

            “Actually John the Illusive Man wants to speak to you. Priority message,” EDI said. John nodded and rapped his knuckles on the conference desk.

 

            “Then everyone is dismissed. EDI please connect to the Illusive Man. Jane stay please,” John said as the team filed out of the room. As the table slid down into the floor Jane came up beside him as he stepped into the middle of the room. The hologram sprang to life around them. John was a bit surprised. All the other times he had spoken to the Illusive Man he had been sitting, now he was standing pensively in his room, lighting a cigarette. He glanced at them and nodded.

 

            “John, we caught a break,” The Illusive Man began, wasting no time on pleasantries. “I intercepted a distress call from a Turian patrol. They stumbled onto a Collector ship beyond the Korlus system. The Turians were wiped out but not before they crippled the Collector vessel.” He was pacing as he spoke and finally settled into his chair. “I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to get to their homeworld.”

 

            "I know you don't expect one ship to take on a planet of those creatures," Jane growled as she glared at the Illusive Man.

           

            “What do you think will happen when we get to their homeworld, Jane?” The Illusive Man retorted. John noted he was avoiding Jane’s statement.

 

            “Hard to imagine how a turian patrol could take out a Collector Ship,” John interjected, crossing his arms.

 

            “Reports indicate the hull’s intact but all systems seem to be offline. They could be making repairs as we speak. I’m not saying it won’t be dangerous but we can’t let an opportunity like this slip by.” Illusive Man drawled.

 

            “If they have a patrol out there, why aren’t the Turians sending a recon team in?” Jane countered. The Illusive Man shot her a smirk.

 

            “They will. Eventually,” he said, obviously pleased with himself. “But I intercepted the transmissions. In the meantime, we’re feeding them false reports. You’re close enough that you can be in and out before the Turians learn the truth.”

 

            "We are Council Spectres, it wouldn't be out of reach for us to report about this as we investigate," Jane said with narrowed eyes.

 

            "I will inform the Hierarchy myself about this incident once you are clear," the Illusive Man stated. Jane didn't trust that.

 

            “Send us the coordinates and we’ll take care of it,” John broke in.

 

            “Already done,” the Illusive Man replied. “Once you’re aboard the ship, establish an uplink with EDI. She’ll mine their data for information regarding the Omega 4 relay. Good Luck, Shepards.” As the link terminated John shared a look with Jane. She was scowling but nodded in agreement.

 

            _“Coordinates are punched in.”_ Joker called over the comm system. _“Let’s go find us a Collector Ship.”_

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 15th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Just Outside the Korlus System

 

            “John, one moment,” Miranda said. John paused, just before he left the weapons room. Joker had just announced they had arrived and John was the last to armor up.

 

            “Can it wait till after we get back from checking over their ship?” John asked. He didn’t want to delay getting onto the Collector ship. The whole thing felt wrong to him, especially having the SR2 floating next to a ship that was similar to the one that had shot down the SR1.

 

            “I just wanted you to take this,” Miranda said holding out to him an SMG in Cerberus colors. Puzzled, John took the weapon in his hand looking it over. It was oddly shaped, more like a pistol than an SMG with an odd hooked portion near the end. It looked like it was designed to be held one handed or two handed.

 

            “It’s of Cerberus design, we call it a M-25 Hornet,” Miranda explained. “It’s not like a typical SMG however. Instead of firing full automatic, its semi-automatic with a three round burst every trigger pull. I had this prototype rushed to production and delivered to Omega for you.”

 

            “Thank you but why give it to me now?” John wondered. Miranda gave him a look like he was being thick and after a moment John realized he was.

 

"Besides the obvious issue I know you haven't used SMGs due to them not really fitting your combat style." Miranda stated primly. "I know you haven't found an assault rifle from our stocks you like so I thought you might appreciate something newer." John thought it over, admitting to himself was still using the basic M-8 Avenger. He still hadn't found anything else that had the kick and control he liked.

 

"Thank you, I'll try it out," John replied, placing the SMG on his free side.

 

"Be careful John," Miranda said and John smiled at her.

 

"I'll do my best to be so, but no promises." He said to her as he walked towards the front of the ship. Miranda followed and they came up behind Joker as he guided the Normandy into place. Jane was there along with Grunt and Legion, the ground team for this mission.

 

            “We have a visual on the Collector ship folks,” Joker replied. John came up behind him and placed a hand on Joker’s headrest, watching out the windows as they came along side the ship.

 

            “Very low emissions. Passive infrared temperatures suggest mist systems are offline. Thrusters are cold,” EDI reported.

 

            “That thing’s massive. How the hell did the Turians take it out?” Joker mused. John narrowed his eyes at the ship as they came along side it.

 

            “You’d be surprised just how good Turians are at what they do,” Jane commented as she searched the readings. "You noticing anything?"

 

            "Where's the debris from the turians?" John muttered as he nodded.

 

            “Ladar scans do not detect any hull breaches on the side facing us,” EDI stated. “I detect no mass effect field distortions. It appears the drive core is offline.”

 

            “Docking area detected,” Legion noted, his head panels shifting. “Shepard-Spectres, we recommend taking a shuttle and beginning ingress at that location.”

 

            “Let’s go,” John said, gesturing back towards the elevator. “Joker, keep an open comm channel with us. We may need to leave in a hurry.”

 

            “Aye, aye commander.”

 

~*TF*~

 

Jane stared as the shuttle doors opened and her skin crawled at the sight of the Collector ship.

 

            "Weirdest looking ship I've ever seen," Grunt muttered.

           

            "How many have you seen?" John asked and Grunt shrugged.

 

            "It looks like a giant insect hive," Jane commented as she noticed the parallelohedral pattern on the walls. She kept her pistol ready as she moved to John's right as Grunt took his left and Legion took the rear. She wished they brought Tali and Garrus for this.

 

            " _Penetrating scans have detected an access node to uplink with Collector databanks. Marking location to your hardsuit computer_ ," EDI stated as the group began to travel within the structure.

 

            "It looks organic," John muttered as liquid dripped from the nightmarish honeycombs on the ceiling.

           

            "Like I said...an insect hive," Jane stated.

 

            " _Shepard, I have compared the ship's EM signature to known Collector profiles. It is the vessel you encountered on Horizon_ ," EDI stated over the comms and John nodded.

           

            "Maybe the defense towers softened it for the turians," John suggested and Jane sighed, it would be horribly convenient if that were the case.

 

            "Likely," Grunt nodded.  

"The colonists might be on board if they are still alive," Legion stated as they approached a couple pods. They were empty but there was no denying it.

           

            "The Collectors used these on Horizon. However these are empty," Jane said as she stared at the small space. "I don't like to think about it. Trapped in there, at the mercy of the Collectors." John's hand landed on her shoulder.

 

            "We're here to make sure that doesn't happen to anyone else," he said and Jane nodded as they moved on.

 

            It got worse as they saw the piles of bodies. Human forms, some in pieces, left in piles on the floor. Based on the decomposition, these were not all from Horizon. Jane stood over the bodies and was glad her visor was recording all of this. The Council needed to see what the Collectors were doing.

 

            "Bodies just left here. They're just things to the Collectors," Jane whispered.

 

            " _These people may have been used for testing. If they are a control group, they may have been discarded at the end of the experiment_ ," EDI suggested. John noticed that there were a couple bodies with cybernetic implants. One man had obvious optical implants, not unlike the Illusive Man's, only the dead man's did not glow. An artificial arm was on a woman. Perhaps not a control group he thought as Jane crossed herself over the bodies.

 

            "There are worse things than death...like being a test subject for twisted aliens," Jane said, her mind going to Dr. Hart, the batarian slavers, and other monsters she had met.

            "EDI, scan these bodies, what percent have cybernetic implants?" John asked and his omni-tool flared for a second.

 

            " _Over half of the bodies in this area contain some sort of cybernetic augmentation_ ," EDI stated and John stared.

 

            "What are you thinking?" Jane asked and he stared at her a second.

 

            "I have been using my abilities without accessing my tech manually," John explained and Jane stared at him a second.

 

            "No wonder you are so fast on the battlefield," Grunt chuckled.

 

            "Shepard Commander is twelve percent faster than prior estimates higher outliers predicted," Legion confirmed.

 

            " _Collectors are interested in genetic patterns_ ," EDI added and Jane looked at the bodies.

 

            "What are the chances that these people who were augmented were removed from the population taken because their augmentations did not align genetically?" Jane asked and the group was silent. "So you've been using your powers without using your tech consciously?"

 

            "Yes," John said and Jane blinked. She had been considering John's prowess as beyond what she thought of as John...what if his cybernetic implants were enhancing his skills...meaning his talents were not natural but a side effect of being altered. He could be...no, not the time for this.

           

            "It is possible, the newest implants tend to allow for impressive abilities. Better connection to prosthetics, enhanced senses, and improved healing rates," Jane stated as they continued to the hellish looking laboratory set up. "They say some of the experimental cybernetic implants take normal human hormones and enhance their effects. Adrenaline is supposed to make it seem like time slows for the person with the implant. Focus on the feeling next time. Those kinds of implants can be trigged with enough mental focus." John scanned some medical equipment as Jane shoved her pistol into the head of each Collector on the medical tables. No responses, they were both dead.

 

            "That's a Collector. Were they experimenting on themselves?" John muttered as they looked at the two dead Collectors. "EDI, I'm uploading the data from this terminal. See if you can figure out what they were up to."

 

            " _Data received. Analyzing,_ " EDI replied. " _The Collectors were running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and humanity._ "

 

            "That doesn't sound good," Grunt stated and both Shepards nodded.

 

            "Are they looking for similarities?" Jane asked.

 

            " _I have no hypothesis on their motivations. All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure: the Protheans_ ," EDI explained.

 

            "My God...the Protheans didn't vanish. They're the Collectors," Jane whispered as her eyes widened, staring at the creature before her.

 

            "They're just working for the Reapers now," John added.

 

            " _These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. The Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs,"_ EDI said.

 

            "And now they are collecting humans," Jane hissed, her stomach clenched almost violently.

 

            "You'd think somebody would have picked up on this," John said as he stared at the Collector corpse between him and Jane.

 

            " _No one has had an opportunity to study a Collector genetic code in this detail. I have already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This Collector likely descends from a Prothean colony in the Styx Theta cluster,_ " EDI continued as if she had not just revealed a massive historical mystery. " _But there are signs of extreme alteration. Three fewer chromosomes. Reduced heterochromatin structure. Elimination of superfluous "junk" sequences._ "

 

            "The Reapers didn't wipe out the Protheans," John stated.

 

            "They turned them into monsters and enslaved them," Jane growled and John looked at her with concern.

 

            "Still, they're working for the Reapers now. And we have to stop them," he said. Jane looked up at him and nodded.

 

            "We need to keep humanity from following the Protheans," she said looking over the corpses as they turned to see a weapons cache. Human weapons were piled without any consideration. Dropped like the bodies, trash to be discarded later.

 

            “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this part,” John noted in slight disgust as they rooted in the pile of discarded weapons.

 

            “It's better than getting funding from interested parties.” Jane retorted. She was checking over a very large sniper rifle that John noted was only remotely resembling the Widow model it was based upon. “I’d rather not let myself become beholden to someone.”

 

            “No, I get it. Still feels a little ghoulish.” John commented just as he uncovered a large, red colored assault rifle. “This looks interesting.”

 

            “Model M-76 Revenant,” Legion noted. “Per design manufacturer’s dossier, model unleashes a storm of deadly high-velocity slugs. Less accurate than an assault rifle, but has a high ammo capacity and deals much more damage. Effective against armor, shields, and biotic barriers. Custom-made machine gun features technology not widely available. Protected against replication by sophisticated Fabrication Rights Management technology.”

 

            “So it’s more than likely DNA and code locked to someone already,” John said in disappointment. He pulled the trigger and was surprised when the gun chimed and a simple tone sounded indicating the gun was now coded to him.

 

            “They must have taken it before that could happen,” Grunt growled. John sighted down the hall and took a few experimental shots rang out. It had one hell of a kicked and pulled hard up but John fell in love it right then and there as the bullets tore through the crate down the way with ease.

 

            “I have a new favorite!” John crowed and Jane rolled her eyes as they group continued on.

 

"On the ceiling. More pods," Grunt pointed out.

 

            "Hundreds of them," Jane gasped in horror. "I wonder how many are occupied?" She wanted to search, wanted to find and rescue. Save the colonists from the tiny, coffin-like containers.

 

            "Too many," John said, his hands were gripping his weapon tightly.

 

            " _I detect no signs of life in the pods, Shepards_ ," EDI said and Jane wondered if it wasn't a mercy.

 

            "We were too late," Jane growled. She was going to enjoy killing the next Collector she encountered.

 

            " _It is probably the victims inside died when the ship lost primary power_ ," EDI explained.

 

~*TF*~

 

            " _Commander. You gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship_ ," Joker said as the group moved up through the ship.

 

            " _I compared the EM profile against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match,_ " EDI said and Jane's blood began to boil. This ship destroyed the SR-1, killed her brother, and nearly stole Kaidan...she was going to kill so many Collectors the next chance she got.

 

            "The same ship dogging me for two years? Way beyond coincidence," John said as they began to approach a massive opening.

           

            " _Something doesn't add up, Commander. Watch your back_ ," Joker said. A few minutes later they emerged into a large hangar area as the team reached the top and saw the true interior of the ship. It was clear now that while it was powerful, combat was not the first role of this ship. Pods covered the interior, the massive space making it clear that this was a storage vessel. You could easily fit four to five SR2 ships inside of it.

 

            "Merciful God," Jane hissed.

 

            "They could abduct every human in the Terminus Systems and not fill these pods," Grunt said. Jane's blood ran cold as she looked at John and he met her eyes.

 

            "Earth...They have to be after Earth," Jane said, her eyes wide in horror as she realized the truth.

 

            "Not if we stop them," John said with the determination that made Jane nod. Her eyes were still wide, but the edge of fear was pulling back to savage rage. If Jane had to pick fear or anger, anger always won.

 

            They continued on to the coordinates EDI gave them.  

 

~*TF*~

 

            “EDI? I’m setting up a bridge between you and the Collector ship. See if you can get anything useful from the data banks, not just the Omega 4 relay.” John replied, patching his omni-tool and EDI into the console.

 

_“Data mine in progress, John,”_ EDI replied. John nodded, glancing around. The others were taking stock as their AI did her thing.

 

            _“Uh…that can’t be good,”_ Joker suddenly spoke up. John frowned and was about to ask what was going on when the console went dead and the whole floor shook, several of the tubes around them shifting and pieces inside moving.

 

            "That's not good," Jane hissed as she began looking up with her pistol ready.

 

            “We’re all fine here, Joker. What just happened?” John asked.

 

            _“Major power surge. Everything went dark, but we’re back up now.”_ Joker replied.

 

            “ _I managed to divert the majority of the overload to non-critical systems._ ” EDI said hurriedly. _“John this was not a malfunction. This was a trap.”_

 

            “Move! Back into the hall!” Jane cried just before the whole floor shifted and actually began to rise up and into the large storage area.

 

            “We need some help here, EDI.” John said quickly, grabbing the console to steady himself.

 

            “ _I am having trouble maintaining connection. There is some else in the system_.” EDI reported and John swore.

 

            “Legion help her out!” Jane barked out.

 

            “Acknowledged, attempting to gain control of the platform,” the Geth said, hurrying to the console and crouching behind it. Its own omni-tool began to glow and Legion began issuing those rapid Geth sounds as it worked. The platform suddenly stopped, throwing all of them but Legion to the floor. John shook his head and got to his feet.

 

            “We’ve got incoming!” Grunt roared. John looked to where his Krogan friend was pointing and saw four other platforms filled with Collectors hurrying towards them.

 

            “Shit, arm up!” John swore, snatching his new assault rifle from his back and adjusting its settings.

 

            “ _Connection reestablished. I need to finish the download before I can override any systems. That console is locked into its previous cycle_.” EDI noted.

 

            “Oh this is gonna suck,” Jane snarled. She open fire with her sniper rifle, picking off Collectors as fast as she could. As she looked through her scope she saw a Collector that was different than the ones they had seen during the fight on Horizon. Some stood taller and gray in color, two horn-like projections emerged from their head. She aimed for one, but the spin of the platforms ended up putting other Collectors in the path of her shots.  

 

            “Some of these Collectors are different!” Grunt snarled, shooting at one of the platforms with his assault rifle. John snarled, laying heavy fire on another platform.

 

            “I see it! They have horns and seem to be bulkier than the others!” John commented. He grunted as the entire platform jerked as the extra platforms connected to theirs. Dozens of Collectors were now shooting at them from their own cover.

 

            “What the hell is that?” Jane muttered. John glanced at what she was looking at. Several of the new Collector types were releasing smaller, denser swarms that looked somewhat like seekers from their backs. The mini-swarms were then floating/flying towards them like slow moving missiles. Jane put up a singularity, catching two of the swarms, giving Grunt the chance to blast the insects into pieces.  

 

            “Shit, shit, shit!” John snarled, shooting down a few that were heading for him. A Collector charged at him and John reacted in an instant, drawing his knife and stabbing it in the throat. With a snarl he used his knife to throw the Collector at several others, knocking them over the side. He jammed his knife back in its sheath just before Jane screamed. He whirled around and felt his heart leap into his throat. Jane was covered in a smaller seeker swarm, batting at them blindly. A strange dark energy was roiling over her body head to toe and seemed to focus on the back of her head where her implant was. Grunt charged over to her, trying to swat them away. As he touched the energy and swarm, his shields wavered and collapsed. Grunt recoiled in shock and a Collector blasted him from behind. Grunt went flying into Jane, sending them both careening to the floor.

 

            John let loose a scream of rage, storming over to them. He snatched a Collector trying to get close to them and threw it into its approaching friend, making them collapse in a heap. He sprayed the pile of Collectors with bullets before whirling around. The last few Collectors were approaching in a group. John snarled and fired off an impact shot, throwing them off the platform.

 

            “What happened?” John demanded. Jane shot him a pained look as she finished patching up Grunt.

 

            “I missed a damn seeker-plague-swarm-thing! When it hit me it exploded but it dampened all of my biotics somehow!” Jane snarled. "We need to watch out...they were holding back on Horizon, we don't know what they have up their sleeves!"

 

            “It took out my shields as well!” Grunt snarled. He tried to get up and winced. “Damn, it got something near the base of my tail. I need a minute to regenerate.”

 

            “I don’t think we have that,” Jane noted, looking past John. He turned around and narrowed his eyes as he saw six more platforms flying towards them, each packed Husks.

 

            “Shit, stay here and cover Legion!” John ordered, over clocking his shield generator.

 

            “What are you going to do John?” Jane demanded. John stood and racked his assault rifle.

 

            “What I always do. I’m a soldier and I’m drawing the line here. Just help Grunt cover Legion while he reestablishes the connection with EDI,” John barked. He hopped over the lip to the next platform. He hurried over the next two platforms and he narrowed his eyes as the few Collectors on those platforms opened fire. He responded in kind, moving at them with steady but fast steps. He was conserving his ammo, each finger pull was a shot he placed right on a Collector’s head. Each shot the Revenant made, with its settings tweaked as John wanted it, punched through shields and barriers with ease. Each one was a kill shot but the Collectors kept coming. Eventually his Revenant clicked as it ran empty. John made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat but slammed the assault rifle to his back. He barely started to reach down to grab his pistol when the last two Collector’s jumped him from their platforms.

 

            Jane stared in awe as she watched John move. She hadn't taken the time to watch him with her full focus before. She was crouching in cover to one side of Legion while Grunt had the other. At her location she could see John fully and it was shocking. He was moving like a martial arts master. Each opponent was used both as a shield and a target as he rushed between them like water. It wasn't inhuman, but it was beyond normal human ability and certainly better than what her brother did at best. He could be a Cerberus plant...but...back on Bekenstein she had seen the cybernetic implants through his skin, those fissure scars, and his technique. It was like watching John back in N7 training, flowing through the opposition only played in fast forward. 

 

            John grunted, throwing the dead Collector off him with his left hand and jammed the barrel of his pistol into the other’s head. The gun roared as he pulled the trigger, deafening in his right ear. He shook his head to clear the ringing as he dropped the sudden dead weight. He narrowed his eyes as the platforms connected with the ones already in place. They were so tightly packed, edge to edge with Husks, the jerk of the platforms connecting made some fall off the edge. Ignoring their companions falling to their deaths the other husks swarmed right off the platforms straight for John. He cursed and drew the SMG Miranda hand given him in his left and fired. The three-round burst hit a lead husk in the head and then punched through to kill the one right behind it.

 

            “I love this gun,” John said happily. He strode forward to get a better line of sight and started firing from each hand, each shot aiming for a head. Remembering the advice Jane had given him when she learned of the artificial adrenaline reaction he forced himself to focus on the feeling. The spike of energy, the speed it gave his hands. He narrowed his eyes and willed it to come. Then as he adjusted his aim to hit another husk, he felt it wash over him as time seemed to slow again.

 

            Jane's jaw dropped as she watched John and the Husks, unlike the Collectors with their weapons, John didn't have to worry about return fire. It was amazing and Jane was going to analyze the footage, but every movement was something she had seen John do before. Could this be John...on cybernetic implants? No, she didn't have time to think about that. As he broke the husks there were more platforms.

           

            "Spectre Shepard, there are more of those weird Collectors," Grunt warned and Jane looked through her scope. More of the horned Collectors were coming, but it only looked like two.

 

            "Use your rifle on those Collectors, I'm going to try a trick an asari Spectre friend taught me," Jane said as both Collectors sent out a cloud of the swarms. Jane quickly threw singularities, blocking both platforms. She could feel blood start to ooze from her nose. She pushed herself after that seeker-plague had knocked out her powers, she should have waited longer, it was dangerous but to get them an opening to escape she couldn't hold back even a little bit. 

 

            "Shields down on both," Grunt called and Jane threw two warps. The singularities exploded, taking out the weird Collectors before their platforms got close.

 

            "Shepard-Spectre, we have regained control of the platform," Legion reported.  

            “John it’s fixed!” Jane shouted at him. John started making his way back but the Husks were still swarming him. His pistol clicked as it ran empty. He cursed as he slapped it to his thigh and grabbed a husk with his right hand. He shoved the husk back into the group and turned to head back but was cut off from a second group that was swarming in behind him. He snarled, pulling his shotgun free with his right hand and blasted them down. Jane couldn't fire, couldn't use her biotics to help him. He was being swarmed and he was going to die. She was about to rush to him when platform began to power up. 

 

            “John we are _leaving_!” Jane screamed at him as their platform disengaged and began to pull up and away. John stormed threw the husks, shoving them aside as he bolted for the platform. He leaped and caught the edge as it pulled away.

 

            “A little help!” John shouted up and Grunt leaned over the edge and grabbed John’s arm pulling him up. John pulled himself up with his other hand to his hands and knees on the platform. He was breathing hard, covered head to toe in Collector and Husk blood splatter.

 

            “That was fucking dangerous,” Jane hissed as she looked at him. Fear for his safety was taking over. She didn't know if it was him...but that technique...damn Cerberus for this. If it had been almost any other organization she would believe this was John. Only John was stupid enough to do what he just did and survive. "Don't fucking do that again!"

 

            “Well I don’t want to do that again,” John commented. Jane rolled her eyes at him and helped him to his feet.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "Did you get what we need?" John asked as the platform descended.

 

            " _I found data that could help us successfully navigate the Omega 4 relay,_ " EDI reported. " _I have also found the turian distress call that served as the lure for this trap. The Collectors were the source. It is unusual._ "

 

            "Knew it," Jane muttered as she shook her head. "No debris from the fight."

 

            "Seems logical to me that they would have sent the initial message as bait," John said as they landed and began to head out.

 

            " _No, it is unusual because Turian emergency channels have secondary encryption. It is corrupted in the message. It is not possible that the Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine_ ," EDI said. The Shepards shared a look.

 

            "Why are you so sure?" John asked, although he suspected he knew and from the way Jane was clenching her fist, she also probably suspected the truth.

 

            " _I found the anomaly with Cerberus detection protocols. He wrote them_ ," EDI explained.

 

            "Motherfucker!" Jane snarled.

           

            " _He knew it was a trap? Why would he send us into a trap?_ " Joker asked.

 

            "We don't have time to throw blame around. We'll question him when we're out," John said, ending it. Jane seethed but she kept her mouth shut. At least he was prioritizing getting out instead of complaining.

 

            " _Uh...Commander. We've got another problem. The Collector ship is powering up_ ," Joker warned. " _You need to get out before their weapons come online. I'm not losing another Normandy!_ "

 

            " _Thanks to Legion's aid I have full control of their systems for now. I will do what I can, but the Collectors are already attempting to take back systems, I will not be able to keep full control for long. Sending coordinates for shuttle extraction_ ," EDI said and Jane smirked.

 

            "You got control of the ship?" Jane asked Legion as they began to run. The geth's head panels moved in a merry manner.

 

            "It will only be temporary now that EDI is functioning alone. The time necessary for Collectors to regain control of systems will be sufficient for escape," Legion explained.

 

            "Come on, let's move!" John ordered and the team began to run.

 

            " _Take the doorway to the right,_ " EDI said and the group moved. A small group of Collectors flew in.

 

            "That certainly gives them an advantage in here," Jane growled as she took cover.

           

            "We have one of those horned ones!" Grunt cried.

 

            "What do we do about those swarms?" John asked and Jane and Grunt shared a look.

 

            "We have a solution," Jane said as the Collector General released the swarm Jane stood up and caught them in a singularity. Grunt focused on the Collector as Jane threw a warp, the swarm exploded, catching the General.

 

            "Well, that works," John said.

 

            "Have to make sure you don't get flanked or it's worthless," Jane said and John nodded. Jane threw a few husks out of the way as John and Grunt took the lead, Legion sniping from cover as they moved through the room.

 

            "Home field advantage is a bitch," John growled as a few more Collectors popped up.

 

            " _Watch out, a group is approaching with a Praetorian, I have lost control of the engines and communications, but I am prioritizing control of doors and weapons_ ," EDI warned.

 

            "I have my grenade launcher," Jane said.

 

            "I brought the particle gun," John replied. "Legion, Grunt, you take the Collectors, we'll take on the Praetorian. Jane, use that trick if they try those seeker-things on us."

 

            The plan worked like clockwork. Grunt taking out husks while Legion took out the Collectors. Jane and John flanked the Praetorian, moving it away from the others. John used the particle gun to finish it. Jane looked at the nearby Collector corpses. She pulled out a particle gun for herself.

 

            "Reverse engineering one of these will keep Garrus busy and not calibrating," Jane muttered to herself.

           

            " _Please hurry, the shuttle is waiting_ ," EDI stated and the group headed through the door to the left. They could see the shuttle and began to run.

 

            _“We’re out of time, Spectres! We have to go!”_ Joker shouted. John checked a husk out the way as they ran for the shuttle. He snatched his assault rifle from his back and began laying down covering fire as Legion worked to get the shuttle open.

 

            “You heard the man,” John barked. “Everybody onto the shuttle! Move!” He fired one last concussive shot into the group approaching, hurting them back as the team rushed into the shuttle. The door wasn’t even closed when Legion leapt into the pilot seat and the shuttle took off.

 

            “Why didn’t we bring a pilot who kept the shuttle warmed up?” Jane demanded as the doors finally closed as they shuttle banked hard and shot straight for the Normandy.

 

            “None of them wanted to go!” John snapped as the shuttle shot into the Normandy’s cargo back, hitting the ground and skidding to a stop.

 

            “Ground team is aboard, Moreau-Pilot,” Legion spoke into the comms.

 

            _“Hold on people, gonna make them work for it this time!”_ Joker called out. John wrenched the door open and they hurried out of the shuttle. The Normandy banked hard and shuddered.

 

            “That was a near shot!” Jane exclaimed as they headed into the elevator. John jammed the level for the CIC and the elevator moved up. The doors had barely opened on the CIC when the Normandy banked again.

 

_“Transferring stabilizer output to the maneuvering systems! Everyone brace yourselves we're going to lose artificial gravity!”_ Joker called out as the Shepards stormed up behind him. John gripped the back on Joker’s chair just as another shot went straight for them.

 

            " _All crew, brace for loss of artificial gravity, magnetic locks on all equipment activated now. Artificial gravity deactivated in ten...nine...eight...,_ " EDI broadcast. Cerberus crew members were quick to get to gravity stations, securing themselves. Joker’s hands seems to swirl over the controls and Jane felt her stomach lurch as Joker executed a barrel roll over the beam. As the gravity went out, only her mag boots kept her standing on the deck plating but some of the others on the CIC clearly forgot the safety protocols as dozens of data pads and coffee floated around.

 

            “I can’t dodge this guy forever, EDI. Get us the hell out of here!” Joker barked. He then made a snarl and slammed his hand on something. The Normandy seemed to twist instantly and shoot straight down at almost a ninety degree angle. John’s hands dug into Joker’s head rest as he gripped it hard enough to leave finger indents as the sudden acceleration Gs without the stabilizers to negate the sudden thrust. Jane grimaced as the forces hit her. She bent into a crouching position as the Gs caused her to slide backwards with her mag boots.

 

            “Specify a destination, Mr. Moreau,” EDI asked with her calm demeanor as if this was just another routine flight. Joker flipped a switch and reactivated the stabilizers. The interior of the Normandy seemed to hum and objects went crashing to the floor.

 

            “Anywhere that’s not here!” Joker barked.

 

            “Very well. Engaging mass effect core.” EDI replied. The ship seemed to stabilizer for a moment and then John saw the field snap in place outside the window as they went to FTL.

 

            “I don’t want to do that again.” Joker replied and John silently agreed. Jane turned to look at the mess on the CIC floor where multiple cups of coffee had discharged before shattering on the elevator wall.

 

            "I hope Mordin wasn't working on anything viral," Jane muttered. "Gardner is going to lose his shit if this happened in the galley."

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: Early Morning February 16th, 2186 CE

Location: Normandy SR2, Mid-Transit

 

            John splashed the water on his face, washing the sweat and gunk off his face and head. He gasped at how cold it was but he needed it. They’d been up for almost twenty-four hours at this point. He felt exhausted but they needed to do the post mission debrief. EDI had picked Illium for their destination during their escape and they were already back on course. Two more days and they should get there, provided there were no additional problems.

 

            _“John, you are needed in the conference room.”_ EDI spoke up over the comms in his room. _“The Illusive Man called for you and your sister has agreed to speak with him until you arrive. I am worried about her…biotic expressions during such a talk in light of recent events.”_ Just then the ship rattled. _“Such as that.”_

 

            _“Uh…sir? Your sister is causing some navigation problems.”_ Joker chimed over the comms.

 

            “God damn it, I’ll be there in a minute,” John said, hurrying out of the room. As he entered the room he saw Jane in the middle of the projection, her biotics glowing around her as she glared at the Illusive Man.

 

            "It is inexcusable for a so-called leader to send soldiers into a fight missing critical information like the fact it was a trap! If we weren't lucky enough to bring Legion with us, we would have been trapped on that ship and possibly killed!" Jane roared. The Illusive Man took a slow draw from his cigarette.

 

            "I don't see your concerns, you and your brother had almost no trouble. Well your brother had no trouble, you were incapacitated for a moment," the Illusive Man stated giving Jane a look.

 

            "For claiming that only John could do this, you are quick to put him in situations that could get him killed," Jane snapped and John moved next to her. She glared at the Illusive Man. He seemed to ignore Jane as he looked at John.

 

            "Looks like EDI extracted some interesting data before the Collector ship came back online," he said.

 

            "EDI told us the distress call originated from the Collectors. You betrayed us," John began.

 

            "I started with that too," Jane stated and John paused.

 

            "As I said with your sister, we're at war. The Collectors are taking humans, and every minute we waste is one more we give the enemy to prepare," the Illusive Man said.

 

            "I know the stakes. But we're supposed to be on the same side, and I can't trust you," John warned. Jane felt happy with that statement and realized she was relaxing herself around John. As he spoke with the Illusive Man, she considered what she knew and again kicked herself. He could be John...but the Illusive Man was a piece of shit. Risking them all when he could have given them the heads up.

 

            "Without that information, we don't reach the Collector homeworld. And you and every other human may as well be dead," the Illusive Man said. "It was a trap...but I was confident in both your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The collectors couldn't have anticipated her."

 

            "You could have told me the plan. You say I'm important, but you sure try hard to get me killed," John said and Jane realized this almost sounded like her thought process. Was this John? Or was this all an act to get her to believe it was John. She couldn't tell and that scared her. Her response to fear was anger and she began to embrace the rage she felt at being sold out grow. Her biotics caused the hologram to flicker.

 

            "I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could've tipped them off in any number of ways," the Illusive Man brushed off and Jane glared at him. "Besides I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed."

 

            "I don't risk people. There are always alternatives," John said, crossing his arms and Jane glared at the Illusive Man. It would be an honor to perforate his skull.

 

            "You may not like being on the receiving end, neither would I, but the facts are with me," he stated. "As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. But more importantly...it paid off. EDI confirmed our suspicions. The Reapers and Collector ships use an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that the relays recognize. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

 

            "We were just on a Collector ship! Why didn't you say anything about finding their IFF?" Jane demanded.

 

            "As I said. EDI just confirmed it. Besides, you wouldn't have had time to find and extract it. But we have options," the Illusive Man said.

 

            "Legion and EDI had complete control of the ship together, we could have used that to allow us to access the IFF," John said with a glare. "What option is better than that?"

 

            "An Alliance science team recently determined that the "Great Rift" on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon," the Illusive Man said and Jane's biotics dropped in shock.

 

            "The Great Rift was supposed to be tectonic movement that halted when the convention currents within the mantle changed," Jane gasped. "They think a weapon did that?"

 

            "A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both," the Illusive Man said and Jane was horrified by the man. He was as dangerous as the Shadow Broker...but at least the Shadow Broker had habit of negotiating a price. "The weapon was defunct, but it helped us plot the flight path of the intended target...a thirty-seven million year old derelict Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

 

            "We saw what Sovereign did to the Citadel fleet. Hard to imagine anything could stop something that powerful," John said.

 

            "This vessel is a relic from a battle waged while mammals took their first steps on Earth. There's no trace of the species that took the shot. Perhaps it was their one moment of defiance before being wiped out," the Illusive Man said and Jane stared before a memory trigger. Chorban the salarian scientist who studied the Keepers. He said they had shown extensive genetic modification...like the Collectors had. Could...could they be the remains of the race that fought? She kept that thought to herself, but made a mental note to contact Chorban again, he might be willing to look into the Collector DNA. Maybe set him up with one of the Prothean scientists she knew was doing DNA research.

 

            "I get the feeling this isn't going to be a simple "swing by and pick up our package,"" John said and the Illusive Man tilted his head.

 

            "We lost contact with Dr. Chandana's team shortly after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance revealed no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources...but now we need that IFF," he said. "I'll forward the coordinates to Joker. In the meantime...I suggest you tell your crew I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily."

 

            "I have a feeling a few of them are going to share our sentiments on your decisions," Jane stated.    

 

            "EDI, assemble the crew, we have a lot to talk about," John ordered before he looked to Jane who was still dead eyeing the Illusive Man.

 

            "I will be passing off all your information to the Council and Alliance," Jane said.

 

            "I anticipated as much when you joined the crew," the Illusive Man said.

 

            "I'm not part of this crew, I am here to back up John, since apparently you keep aiming at it," Jane said as she turned and walked off.

 

            "Watch her, Commander," the Illusive Man said before ending the communication.           

 

~*TF*~

 

            “So the Illusive Man didn’t sell us out.” Jacob grunted. “Could’ve fooled me.”

 

            “Lied to us. Used us. Needed access to the Collector data banks.” Mordin noted as he paced. “Necessary risk.”

 

            “Speak for yourself, super nerd,” Jack snarled. “I still want to rip his head off for almost getting us killed or worse, _collected_.”

 

            “We still would have needed to go in but if he had told us about it being a trap from the start we could have planned accordingly,” John noted, crossing his arms. “Let’s just hope this IFF works.”

 

            “My analysis is accurate, John,” EDI chimed in from her hologram in the middle of the table. “I’ve also determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from their vessel.” EDI’s avatar disappeared and a holographic display of the Milky Way popped up to replace it. An icon traced a path to the Collector homeworld…right in the galactic core.

 

            “You’ve got to be shittin’ me,” Jane said in surprise.

 

            “Can’t be. The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There’s no habitable planets there.” Jacob said flatly.

 

            “Maybe they’ve built a station there,” Tali chimed in. “If they have access to Reaper tech like we suspect then it’s more than likely they have the ability to establish a safe area inside the core.

 

            “This explains so much,” Garrus noted. “If someone could survive in there it’d be the perfect place to base your operations. Conventional FLT can’t fly right into it. You have to use the Omega 4 relay to get there.”

 

            “No wonder nobody’s ever returned from a trip through the Omega 4 relay.” John commented as he stared at the map.

 

            “Data indicates that a small safe zone exists on the other side of the relay.” Legion commented, his head panels all extended as he analyzed the data. “The old machines IFF would allow the relay to deposit our collective at the exact location needed. Current navigational travel is still limited. Drifting of several thousand kilometers still occurs. Such drift in the core would be fatal. Old machine IFF is necessary.”

 

            “Just because we can go doesn’t mean we should,” John noted. “We still need to upgrade the Normandy. That is even more apparent after the past day’s events. We also should acquire all the personnel we can. Assaulting their home base is going to be a massive undertaking.”

 

            “Speaking of, this data on the new Collector types,” Miranda said, taping the data pad with the combat readings their omni-tools had taken. “They’re obviously changing, adapting. Either to us and our mission as they collect more and more data on what our species are capable of.”

 

            "No," Jane said and Miranda gave her a look. "Think about what we know. The Collectors don't need to pull out their elite forces when they take a colony. They send in those seeker swarms that can put the targets into stasis. Once the target is frozen, the stock troops can collect them and return them to the ship. You don't bring out your best fighters when your enemy is helpless." Miranda stared at Jane.

 

            "Our attack was quick and effective," Miranda said.

 

            "That's fucking right we were," Jack said, standing next to Jane. "We came in and kicked their asses."

 

            "By the time they were sending reinforcements from the ship we were powering up the AA guns," Garrus added and Miranda nodded.

 

            "Your theory has merit," Miranda conceded.

 

            "Collectors knew that those that fought us at the AA guns would die. Leave cover to distract. Collectors don't value the individual but the use. Wouldn't send out useful troops when stock troops would suffice. Praetorian was probably already outside of ship at our arrival," Mordin added. "Calculated loss. Efficient."  

 

            "Make sure the Alliance gets a copy of this data," John said to Miranda who nodded as the holographic projection system shut down. "If the Collectors can stop biotic and tech powers, even temporarily, then so can the Reapers. People need to know what to expect. I’m just glad the effects are only temporary."

 

            "I already sent it through Spectre channels, all Council species need to know too," Jane remarked. John nodded.

 

            "We should reach Illium soon. Dismissed everyone," John noted. As the entire team filed out Jane and John were the last to leave. Just before they were going to walk out the door, Jane stopped, turning around and stopping John with hand on his chest. She slammed her free hand to the door controls closing them.

 

            "Never do that again," she said in an icy tone. "That was so damn stupid taking them on all by yourself."

 

            "I had no choice," John noted, narrowing his eyes at her. "Grunt had been shot, you both were down, and Legion needed to focus on helping EDI regain control of the platform. I made a tactical decision, besides it all worked out for the best. Have faith in your brother."

 

            “You told me on Haven to stop pulling that kind of shit, this does not make me trust you more when you suddenly take those risks,” Jane hissed. Her fury cold in her eyes and John felt his temper begin to rise.  


            "I knew I could handle it!" John retorted with a bit a snarl. "The risk was mine to take because I was in the best position to do! You have to admit you're not the best at hand to hand without your biotics!"

 

            “Like I knew I could save Kaidan by myself?” Jane shot back. “You could have been killed! And we would have had to watch!”

 

            "Well it's my job to protect yo-everyone on this team!" John countered. "It was a trap and I had to make a decision!" Jane felt her anger rise. She wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her at the thought of seeing him die. Her deepest fear and cruelest thought emerged.

 

            “You’re not my brother! It’s not your job to protect me!” She snapped and in that moment, she knew she had gone too far. The rage that had built from the helplessness during the fight, the uncertainty of who John really was, and the fucking Illusive Man had gone too far and she had let it out at John.  

 

            John flinched, and took a step back. He tried to think, to say something, anything. He stared at Jane, her angry scowl mixed with regret boring into him.  
  
            "I-I-I need to go." John mumbled and brushed past Jane, opening the door and hurrying out the hall.   
  
            Jane's mouth moved wordlessly. She had no excuse for that. Especially since she was so torn about John. He could be her brother and if he was, that was unforgivable. She had lashed out against him and it was wrong, even if he wasn't her brother, taking out her rage on anyone but an opponent was unforgivable.

 

            "Fuck me..." she hissed, covering her eyes with a hand. How the fuck was she going to make this up to him?   


~*TF*~

  
            John got upstairs to his cabin and closed the door behind him. He wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing until he found himself in the bathroom, staring at his face in the mirror.  
  
_"You're not my brother!"  
  
            _ He was! He was John Shepard! He remembered the farm! Hours spent running through fields and over hills! _  
  
            "You're not my brother!"  
_  
            Elizabeth's breathless cries and passionate words as they lost their virginity to each other.  
  
_"You're not my brother!"_  
  
            He gripped the sink hard, staring at himself as he forced memories to come to mind. The first time he'd saved someone, Jessica Nigri, as he screamed with effort to pull her out from under the collapsed roof of her home after a slaver raid. The taste of his first beer. The warmth of waking up beside someone.  
  
**Liara.** Her laughter. Her smile. Her scent. The feel of her beneath his fingertips. Her-  
  
_"You're not my brother!"_  
  
            But he was different. The callouses on his hands were gone. New blisters were forming as he performed actions and training that he did by instinct but were new to these hands. Scars he didn't remember getting, surgical in origin. Other scars gone, the memory attached to them faded. The fading red under his skin. The enhanced reflexes, the stronger grip that had people wince when he shook their hands by habit. The incomplete tattoos, the red under his eyes, a fuller hair line, all teeth being real and not real mixed with caps to replace some lost in combat, on and on and-  
  
_"You're not my brother!"_

 

            John screamed, ripping the sink free and throwing it out the open bathroom door. It smashed into the empty display case above his desk, shattering it and sending glass everywhere. John stormed out, snatching his chair and hurtling it at the empty fish tank. It impacted and the tank burst with a loud popping sound and crash. Water gushed everywhere.   
  
            "John!" EDI"s frantic and concerned voice. "What is-"  
  
            "Go away!" John bellowed. He whirled to glare at EDI's hologram stand and barely caught sight of the hologram disappearing. A bolt of shame and regret hit him and it made him screamed again. He stormed to the coffee table by the couches and picked it up, hurling it at the wall over his bed where it broke it pieces to rain down on his bed. He saw the helmet on the table top and stormed over snatching it up. He glared at it and was about to hurl it at something else when a thought crept into his mind.  
  
_'This was John Shepard's helmet.'_  
  
            John Shepard's helmet. Not his, someone else's. John squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the tears come and raised the helmet a bit to touch it to his forehead. He didn't even realize he was collapsing to his knees as miserable sobs broke out of his mouth.

 

~*TF*~

 

            Jane went to the only person she could really open up to and the forward battery door opened to reveal Garrus. The tension in Jane's shoulders went down, not gone, but she was starting to relax.

 

            "What's up, Shepard?" Garrus asked and Jane moved to sit on the boxes in the corner.

 

            "I fucked up, Garrus," she said and he blinked as he turned to look at her. She was sitting in a way he had never seen before. Her legs were wide, her elbows on the knees, and her face buried in her hands. He moved from his console to stand in front of her, moving down on one knee, he rested his arm on his lifted knee and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 

            "Hey, what's up?" he asked and she ran her hands over her hair before looking him in the eye.

 

            "I told John he wasn't my brother," she said and his eyes widened.

 

            "Whoa...that's a low blow," Garrus stated and Jane gave him a glare.

           

            "Thanks...I came for advice. What am I going to do?" she asked and he blinked.

 

            "You've dug yourself a pretty deep hole there," he said and Jane groaned as she buried her face into her hands again.

 

            "I know...it was low and it was wrong, I was a douche," she groaned before sitting back against the wall, her palms pressed to her eyes. "What the hell am I going to do?"

 

            "What's a douche?" Garrus asked and Jane stared at him.

 

            "Are you serious right now?" she asked and he stood up before opening his omni-tool. "That's not necessary. I'm using the colloquial use."

 

            "Whoa...yeah, I figured," Garrus stated as he typed some more. "Yeah...looks here like you were a douche."

 

            "Garrus! Not helping!" Jane groaned and he shrugged.

 

            "You know how I vote on John, Jane," Garrus said and Jane looked up at him with her given name.

 

            "What am I going to do?" she said and he walked over.

 

            "You already know," Garrus said and Jane stared up at him. "You wouldn't have asked me three times with that look on your face if you didn't already know."

 

            "If he's really John, he will never forgive me for this," Jane said and Garrus chuckled.

           

            "I have a kid sister myself, I'm pretty sure she's told me she hates me on more than one occasion, but I like to think that's not true," he said as he held out a hand. Jane took it and he helped her to her feet. "Go and apologize."

 

            "He won't see me and we both know that," Jane said and Garrus grinned.

 

            "This ship might be bigger than the SR-1, but you run out of places to hide after awhile," Garrus said and Jane sighed.

 

            "Thanks, Garrus," she said as she headed out.

 

            "You're always welcome, Jane," he said as he returned to his calibrations.  

 

 

~*TF*~

 

Earth Date: February 18th, 2186 CE

Location: Illium, Nos Astra, Short Term Docking

 

            It had been nearly two days and John had stayed up in his cabin. EDI wouldn't even let Jane up to that level, she had been tempted to try the maintenance ducts but Joker had talked her out of that. By this time all the crew members had figured out that there had been a bad discussion between the Shepards. Kelly had been dogging Jane about what happened as John wouldn't see her either. Garrus, Tali, Kasumi, and Jack had heard Jane's side and she had been met with reprimands by Garrus, scolding by Tali, intense interest by Kasumi, and open mockery by Jack. As they docking at Illium Jane was relieved to see John appear. However the glances she was receiving from Tali and Garrus were not welcome as she approached John. He had dark circles under his eyes but his expression was blank. He had stubble on his face and his skin was a bit reddish like he’d just showered for the first time in days.

 

            "John..." she said only for him to turn and head to the airlock. "Wait..." The other two gave her a look as she rushed out after him. "I need to say something, John." John ignored her and focused on the Asari concierge approaching them with two security mechs.

 

            “Welcome to Nos Astra, Spectre Shepard.” She said, addressing John. “We’ve been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit. My name is Careena. If you need information about the area, it would be my pleasure to assist you.”

 

            “I’ve never had an Asari approach me like that before.” Garrus said in a staged whisper to Tali.

 

            “It must be John,” Tali ‘whispered’ back to him. “They seem to like his style.”

 

            “Who instructed you to waive the fees?” John asked, ignoring the byplay behind him.

 

            “The order came from Liara T’Soni,” she answered. John smiled slightly for the first time in days at that. “who paid all fees on your behalf. She also asked that I direct you to speak with her at your earliest convenience. Her office is located near the trading floor.”

 

            “We’re going straight there right now,” John said, moving past her as she dismissed her mechs. “Thank you.” Jane wasn't going to have that conversation with John now with witnesses even as two of them were giving her looks. As they entered the markets Jane saw a familiar face.

 

            "Jane Shepard, well met," an asari said and Jane broke towards the asari. She was aware of the others following her.

 

            "Molia, what are you doing on Illium?" Jane asked and Molia smiled as she took Jane's hands.

 

            "You know, the usual purchases but I'm glad to see you, Shepard," she said as she smiled kindly at Jane. "I have a message from our mutual acquaintance. Molia's eyes rolled up into her skull. "We hide. We burrow. We build. But we know that you seek those who soured the songs of our mothers. When the time comes, our voices will join with yours, and our crescendo will burn the darkness clean. Thank you, Shepard. The rachni will sing again, because of you."

 

            "Oh...the rachni," Tali said and Jane nodded as Molia's eyes rolled back down.

 

            "Tell our mutual friend that she should keep her family away from the coordinates I give you," Jane said as Molia let go of her hands. Jane used her omni-tool to send Molia coordinates for the Collector attacks. "Also let them know about this attack information." She sent the write up she was doing for the Mindoir Review on Collector tactics and defenses. "Keep them safe."

 

            "I am glad to," Molia said as she walked away.

 

            "So...how much to keep me from telling Wrex that you're still talking to the rachni?" Garrus asked and Jane sighed.

 

            "I ran into Molia last June, she was looking to get special clearance for her transport...she told me about her connection to the rachni and I pulled some Spectre strings and got her what she needed," Jane explained as they walked. John said nothing.

 

            "How does she know the rachni?" Tali asked and Jane sighed.

 

            "Molia was a courier for years, she was attacked by pirates and forced to land on a planet...she very nearly didn't make it. Luckily the rachni were there and they took care of the attacking pirates. They nursed Molia back to health and made a deal to have her work for them as a contact in the Council space. She gets them the products they need and she manages the mineral rights that the rachni have managed to collect," Jane explained.

 

            "The rachni have mineral rights?" Garrus asked.

 

            "They found some stashes, when I met Molia she was struggling to support their needs, when I reminded her about mineral right laws she was quick to get them income. The world the rachni landed on was not their first and the rachni queen has a good memory," Jane said. "But yeah, don't tell Wrex." Jane kept glancing at John as she talked. He hardly reacted when he met Molia. He’d said nothing actually just kept watching with that cold and flat look. John never was like that. Jane was more likely to go cold. John was hot-blooded. He cussed, he shouted, he talked and laughed loudly when he was excited. Now…

 

            “John Shepard! Liara will be pleased to see you!” Jane shook herself and focused. They were upstairs, just outside Liara’s office on Illium. Her assistant/secretary was standing to greet them.

 

            “Can we go right in?” John demanded. She nodded and waved them to the door. John turned and hurried to the door. It slid open to reveal Liara inside. She was facing a hologram of a human. She was speaking to him and Jane stopped short at what she was saying.

 

            “-asari commando unit before. Few humans have.” Liara drawled. Jane couldn’t help but feel an eerie resemblance to Benzia overcome her. Liara had obviously changed a lot in two years. “I’ll make it simple. Either you pay me or I flay you alive. With my mind.”

 

            “Wouldn’t it be simpler to shoot him?” John asked. Liara gasped and the hologram cut out as she turned around.

 

            “John!” Liara took a quick few steps towards him. “Nyxeris, hold my calls.” Jane shook her head at that but focused on them. Liara took John’s hands in hers. From behind him Jane couldn’t see John’s face but Liara’s expression softened. The last time Jane had seen Liara had been the call where she said she had more faith in John...the expression on her face said, she had faith that this was John. Liara thread her fingers with John’s and seemed to drink him in. She drew close but John seemed to lose patience. He pulled Liara bodily to him by her hands and let go to run his hands to her back, holding her close.

 

            “John, wha-?” Liara tried but then John was kissing her. Liara let out a disturbing sound of excitement as John kissed her. It seemed to go on forever and just when Jane was about to clear her throat pointedly they separated.

 

            “I’ve missed you. So much,” John said in a husky whisper. Liara smiled and shook her head softly. She murmured something softly to John who nodded.

 

            “Go back to the ship.” John ordered over his shoulder not even looking at them.

 

            “But John-” Jane tried.

 

            “ _Now_.” He snarled, still not even looking at her.

 

~*TF*~

 

            "This is not the direction of the Normandy," Garrus said.

 

            "No, it is not," Tali added as Jane led them out of Liara's office. She was pissed. Liara was convinced it was John at first meeting. John was dismissing them in a way he never did. The fuck was going on?! Jane needed alcohol and to punch something. The hot rage made her mentally pause. Maybe she wasn't so much herself lately either. She headed for the nearest bar. As she entered the lobby an asari was standing there clearly talking to herself.

 

            "I'm going to have him arrested," she snarled and Jane pondered a bar fight. Garrus would have her back, Tali might be upset...but she was getting a bit of a bad ass vibe from Tali lately. "Watch yourself if you go in there. Some human is causing trouble. He's demanding that I sign the place over to him!"

 

            "Is there anything I can do?" Jane asked.

 

            "Shepard..." Tali sighed.

 

            "Just like old times," Garrus chuckled.

 

            "Oh, no. That crap might fly on Omega, but this is Illium. I'm hooking up security cams now," the asari said. "If he or anybody else causes trouble, I'll have their asses arrested." Jane felt disappointment, no bar fight. She headed up the stairs.

           

            "Shepard, she said no," Tali warned.

 

            "Drinks on me," Jane said.

 

            "My, my, my Shepard, trying to get me drunk are you?" Garrus teased.

 

            "Watch it, turian, that's sexual harassment," Jane said.

 

            "No it's not," he shot back.

 

            "I'm a witness," Tali added as they entered the bar and Jane saw N7 armor by the bar.

 

            "You're really holding out on me? I'm a man on the edge! I've got nothing to lose!" a familiar voice cried and Garrus snorted.

 

            "Not one goddamn word," Jane groaned as she stalked up behind Conrad Verner.

 

            "Uh huh," the bartender growled, Jane wondered if she would be arrested for hurting Conrad. It might be fun to watch...but no, Jane needed a drink and the right thing to do would be to get Conrad out of the danger he was putting himself in.

 

            "You want to see how far I'll go? I learned how to shove a gun in people's face from..." he said and Jane wondered who he was going to say.

 

            "I swear to God Conrad, if you say you learned this from watching me, I'm going to show you what I do to my enemies instead of my friends," Jane said and Conrad whipped around.

 

            "Cah-" he started and Jane held up her hand.

 

            "I'm acting as a Spectre right now, my Alliance title is on hold until I finish my current mission," Jane said and Conrad was practically bouncing.

 

            "Looks like he missed her," Garrus whispered to Tali and the quarian choked back a laugh, Jane glared over her shoulder.

           

            "Hey, if you know this idiot, can you rein him in before I slap his ass with a singularity?" the bartender asked. Conrad smiled brightly.

 

            "Shepard, it's really you! It's me, Conrad Verner! We met on the Citadel? I wanted to become a Spectre?" he said. "I made the fifth ranking Spectre Strong video on the extranet! You showed me what it meant to be truly extreme. I learned that lesson well! Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done? I've got some asses to kick." Jane wondered if she should get a drink for this. Instead she crossed an arm under her breasts and used the other hand to pinch the bridge of her nose.

 

            "If I remember correctly, I need people like you supporting me, not acting like me," Jane said.

 

            "What? Are you crazy? I'm nothing like you, I'm not a Spectre working for the Council. I'm on my own, backed only by my wits and my nerves! No rules, no laws, just whatever it takes to get the job done!" he said excitedly. Jane did not need this.

 

            "Conrad, how did you get that armor?" Jane asked, a biotic headache would be easier to deal with right now.

 

            "Oh, they make some pretty convincing replicas these days, if you're willing to pay. Getting the whole getup was pretty expensive, but my wife was really supportive. She even paid for my shuttle fare off-world!" he cried and Jane nearly burst out laughing as the asari bartender rolled her eyes and shook her head at that.

 

            "Any decent security system will detect that you aren't in the military, much less an N7," Jane said.

 

            "I just say that I'm deep-cover, and don't appear on systems. I'm doing the best I can, okay? The galaxy needs more people like you, Shepard. I had to do something," he cried.

 

            "So...you just wander the galaxy righting wrongs?" Jane asked and he laughed.

 

            "Don't say it like that! I talk to people, you know? Ask them if they have big problems that only I can solve," he said and Jane realized he totally meant it. "You'd be surprised how many people are just waiting for someone to talk to them!" Jane probably wouldn't be. "Sometimes I poke through crates, too. You know, for extra credits."

 

            "Who doesn't?" Garrus muttered and Tali hummed in agreement.

 

            "Conrad...why are you trying to get the deed to this place?" Jane asked.

 

            "This place is actually a front for a red sand dealer. I need to take it over to crack the ring!" he cried.

 

            "What? Who the hell told you that?" the bartender cried.

 

            "The owner of the weapons store near the carport! She's an undercover cop! She told me about it when I introduced myself," Conrad said and Jane wondered if he would leave if she paid for his shuttle home.

 

            "Listen, crap-for-brains: first, we don't sell red sand. Second, red sand is legal on Illium! You just need a license!" the bartender yelled.

 

            "I'll go talk to this undercover cop and figure out what's going on," Jane sighed.

 

            "Wait...what about drinks?" Garrus asked.

 

            "After we get to the bottom of this," Jane said.

 

            "This really is like old times," Tali commented.

           

            "Thank you. If I kill annoying customers, it usually causes property damage. That comes out of my pay," the bartender said.

 

            "Conrad, stay here and just...don't talk to her anymore. She's not going to tell you anything and I need to know the details," Jane sighed as she left and headed for the car port. It was easy to find the weapons stand.

 

            "Can I help you with something?" the merchant asked and Jane stared at the asari. She definitely didn't read like an undercover anything.

 

            "I talked to...an...old friend, Conrad Verner," Jane said as the two chuckled behind her. She did not glare but considered buying her two companions levo-amino acid drinks. "You told him that the Eternity lounge was selling red sand."

 

            "Oh, you're Conrad's friend. Yes, that place is really dangerous. I should know. I'm an undercover cop," the asari said in a tone reserved for talking down to children. Jane considered how hard she should throw the bitch into the wall. "Did you get me the deed to the bar? I need the deed to, uh, stop the red sand dealers." Jane was about to go into a rage when she recalled the bar owners comments. Jane smiled a stupid friendly grin.

 

            "I softened them up for you. You can walk right in there and demand the deed. Don't let them forget that you own the place now," Jane said with a smile and the asari grinned.

 

            "Excellent, here, let me give you a discount," she said before she headed out.

 

            "Now that was mean," Garrus said.

 

            "Let's buy some weapons," Jane said.

 

            As they returned to the bar they made it just in time to see the weapons merchant being dragged out by security. Jane headed to the bar where Conrad was watching confused.

 

            "What happened? The undercover cop from the weapons kiosk just got arrested!" he asked.

 

            "She was actually a terrorist plant," Jane said and Conrad's eyes widened. "I never would have caught her if it wasn't for you."

 

            "Really?" he asked with wide eyes and Jane smiled. This was who she was, showing kindness to people like Conrad who needed heroes.

 

            "Yes, thank you," Jane said. "Now go back home and let me take care of this out here." Conrad smiled.

 

            "Okay, Shepard," he headed out and Jane headed to the bar...finally.

 

            "Thanks for taking care of that crazy guy. Saves me having to beat him to death with his own spine. That makes the other customers nervous. Anyway, this is Eternity, and I'm Aethyta, asari matriarch and bartender. Get you anything?" Aethyta asked from behind the bar. Jane sat down and her shadows flanked her.

 

            "A round with the appropriate amino acids and a rain check...I want to hear your story, but not after having dealt with Conrad," Jane sighed and Aethyta chuckled.

           

            "Sure thing, kid, you look like you need this," she said as she got the group started.

 

~*TF*~

 

            “This is a nice place,” John commented. Liara smiled and gestured widely with her hand at the apartment. The front was curved with floor to ceiling windows on both stories. A couple of couches were here and there.

 

            “I wish I could spend more time here but honestly I just rent it for a place to sleep. I keep a few things here to make it feel like it's mine but I spend most of my time in the office.”

 

            “Hunting the Shadow Broker,” John commented, remembering their conversation in the taxi on the way here.

 

            “Yes,” Liara said darkly. “For everything he did to me and you. After I save Feron I’m going to crush him into paste.” John came up behind her and hugged her. Liara sighed and leaned into him, her hands covering his.

 

            “I’ll help you,” he said softly into her ear. “You saved me Liara. You kept me out of the Collector’s hands and let Cerberus bring me back. I don’t think I can ever express how much it means to me that you did that. Even if I’m not me.” Liara turned in his arms and slipped her hands around him. She looked into his eyes and saw the fear in them.

 

            “What do you mean you’re not you, John?” Liara asked, concerned. John bit his look and shook his head.

 

            “Honestly I have no idea. Jane, she says I’m dead. That I’m not John Shepard, I’m just some...thing. Some days I know she’s wrong but others, especially lately I feel like she’s right. She’s so cold and just pushes me away. I remember things and she tells me they’re not real or implanted.” It was silent for a few minutes as Liara just looked at him.

 

            “Do you remember the first night we had together after we started looking for the Geth remnants after we beat Sovereign?” She asked. John shot her a puzzled looked but nodded.

 

            “What did I ask you?” she pressed. John frowned.

 

            “Not to call you luv.” He replied without hesitation. “You thought it was demeaning, you asked me to call you Lia in private. You thought it was cuter.”

 

            “How would anyone know that?” she asked. “We said that in your quarters, in the Normandy after it left port for the last time. Even if there were recording devices in there, they would have been lost when the SR1 was.” John’s eyes widened in shock and he hugged her tightly.

 

            “I’m me. I know that because only we know that.” He whispered in her ear. Liara nodded and caressed his back.

 

            “You’re my John.” She whispered and nuzzled into his neck. John held her to him and kissed her neck.

 

            “You’re my Liara.” He whispered back. After a few minutes they pulled back and stared at each other. John was smiling but he looked exhausted.

 

            “You’re tired,” she noted and John laughed bitterly.

 

            “I am,” he admitted. “I haven’t slept the past few days. Between Jane and Miranda being at each other’s throats, constantly on edge on a Cerberus funded ship, and having Spectre’s call me telling me to help Jane who clearly hates my guts, I feel worn out and at my wit’s end. Talking to Garrus and Tali helps but getting to know the new team and trying to get them to trust me while Jane is-is-”

 

            “Oh John, I know I asked you to help me gather that data tonight but you’re no good to anyone like this.” Liara said, exasperated. She took John’s hand and led him upstairs. She turned right and hit a panel causing the windows to turn opaque as she led him to her bedroom. She grabbed him by the waist and hit the release clamps on his armor.

 

            “Liara, not that I mind but I’m not sure I’d be up to snuff in bed plus I have these red lines on my body now you need to be aware of.” John commented. Liara looked up at him, and cuffed him on his shoulder just before she pulled the armor off his arms.

 

            “While I would not mind that tonight you need sleep above all else. I won’t have you getting yourself killed now that you’re back.” She replied. John smiled at her and helped her work the armor off. Clad in nothing but his under clothes Liara turned him around and shoved him into her bed. He watched her intently as she undid her own dress, letting it pool at her feet. She stepped out of her shoes and her dress. She undid her bra letting it drop to the floor before climbing onto the bed with him. She nuzzled into his side and he wrapped his arms around her. She reached over to pull the covers over them.

 

            “Lights, sleep mode,” she called out and the lights dimmed down. John felt her settle into his side and he sighed as he finally relaxed.

 

            “Sleep John,” Liara whispered in the dark. “I love you. Here you’re safe and you can forget about everything for just one night. We’ll fix it together in the morning.”

 

            “That sounds nice,” John murmured, already feeling his eyes drift shut. “I love you, Lia.”

 

            “Sleep, my love.”

 

            John slept.

 

~*TF*~

 

OMAKE 1

 

              Just as the trap is sprung…

 

            “Okay, that’s it! John let’s go!” Jane said taking up a pose on the left.

 

            “Yosh!” John said, using a bastard Japanese as he took up the pose on the right.

 

            “Fu-sion HA!”

 

            Big fancy light special effects!

 

            “We are Shepard!”

 

_The author would write the responses of the team and others but he’s too busy laughing at the stupidity of what he has just written._

 

OMAKE 2

 

"It looks like a hive," Jane said.

 

            "Hopefully there isn't a queen," John said.

 

            "Did anyone else picture a Collector with boobs?" Grunt asked.

 

            "No, that's stupid!" John cried.

 

            ' _No one can ever know_ ,' both John and Jane thought as they walked into the ship.

 

OMAKE 3

 

            _After John breaks the fish tank…_

 

            “Whew, I’m glad the authors haven’t bought fish yet!” John replied.

 

            Meanwhile in one reality among many others…

 

            Belle sniffles as she approaches the Normandy memorial board and hangs FISH on it. Toby rolls his eyes as she does so.

 

            “See this is why you need to experience lesbian stuff on occasion,” Toby chided her. “Your fish would be alive throughout two and three if you just invited her up to your cabin to experiment.”

 

            “But don’t you never talk to her again after she agrees to take care of your fish?” Belle countered, sniffling a bit.

 

            “Why would I when I can choose between Liara, Tali or Miranda?” Toby said blatantly. “I wish they just would have had Samantha from the start. She’s so much better than Kelly.”

 

            _Back in the Mass effect reality…_

 

            Kelly Chambers breaks out in tears for no visible reason.

 

OMAKE 4

 

 

The reason why Jane could only talk to Garrus...

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Joker cried. "No, seriously, like. What. The. Fuck." 

 

~*~

 

             "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "You heartless monster..." Kelly gasped.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "This may be...problematic," Mordin sighed.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "We do not know how to assist Spectre Shepard," Legion stated.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            Dr. Chakwas slapped Jane across the face.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "Oooooo," Jacob said with wide eyes. "That was a bad choice."

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "Man, you are a stupid bitch," Jack laughed.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "You unbelievably stupid bosh'tet," Tali cried before reaching for her shotgun.

 

~*~

 

            "I told John he's not my brother," Jane said.

 

            "Why are you so mean?!" Grunt wailed before breaking into tears. "Wah!!!"   


~*~

 

Hidden Belle Note: Psst, don't tell Toby, but I totally use Kelly for my fish feeding slave too. Our little secret!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Toby Note: Today’s fight scene theme song was This is Gonna Hurt by Sixx AM. Hope you liked it. It was fun to write. Also thank Belle a lot for the argument and John’s breakdown afterwards. She inspired me to write it. It set up the ending scene with Liara beautifully.
> 
> By the way, Mass Effect Redemption did happen. Remember, Jane caught a glimpse of Liara on Omega during the two year chapter. 
> 
> Belle Note: Just a mention on the escape from the Collector ship, personally because we have Legion prior to the Collector ship I couldn't help but believe between Legion and EDI, they could wrestle control from the Collectors and Harbinger long enough to actually let the team escape from the Praetorian chamber through that doorway that was open at the beginning of the fight. Just my thought process. I also have always had a horrific time believing that the Collector ship would take over ten minutes to charge up. I timed the fight, from Joker's warning to the actual reaching of the shuttle, it takes a LOT of time and even the fastest playthrough I found clocked in at thirteen minutes. To quote DBZ Abridged "Perhaps on second thought, a whole *thirteen* minute start up for an attack is pretty abysmal in terms of usability in battle." 
> 
> Back to the important thing with Bioware Romances...
> 
> Garrus Note: *shoots Belle in the left gluteal muscle*
> 
> Belle Note: But…why? *passes out again*
> 
> Toby Note: Garrus? What are you doing here?
> 
> Garrus Note: You need to stop getting her worked up. She writes really bad fanfiction smut after you antagonize her like this and I like where this story is going, don't mess it up for me. 
> 
> Toby Note: *turns to the readers* Don’t worry she’ll regain consciousness in time to start 18. It’s her turn to write a chapter first. 
> 
> Belle Note: ...Varric....Cullen...
> 
> Garrus Note: *tranqs her again*


End file.
